Issuu

Troops find P79.2m in Maute’s lair

Drug money, other sources eyed By Florante S. Solmerin and Sandy Araneta

ARINES recovered P79.2 million in cash and checks from a fallen Maute group house in Marawi City as fighting raged on, military officials said Tuesday. The troops ﬁrst found P52.2 million in cash wrapped in plastic bundles and in envelopes inside a house near the Maute group’s machine gun nest in the Mapandi area, said Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla. The troops then found checks worth P27 million in the same house, all paid to cash. “The money and checks were duly secured and turned over to Headquarters Task Force Marawi,” Padilla said. Investigators are looking into the cash and checks to determine

if the Maute terrorists were being funded by foreign groups or “narco-politicians,” an intelligence

official who spoke on condition of anonymity said. Earlier reports said the terrorists ransacked several banks, including the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Philippine National Bank during the course of fighting, which entered its 15th day on Tuesday. The intelligence official said the terrorists had been using the cash to recruit civilians into their fold to fight the government Next page troops.

VOL. XXXI • NO. 113 • 4 SECTIONS 20 PAGES • P18 • WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 • www.manilastandard.net • editorial@thestandard.com.ph

Maute brothers’ patriarch arrested By F. Pearl A. Gajunera

CAPTURED. Cayamora Maute, father of the Maute brothers who

founded the terror group, was arrested along with four others at a security checkpoint on the way to Davao City yesterday. Photo shows him before and after his arrest.

SC to Palace: Reply to petition vs ML By Rey E. Requejo THE Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered Malacañang and administrators of martial law in Mindanao to comment on the petition ﬁled by opposition lawmakers in the House of Representatives seeking to nullify President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of military rule. In its en banc session, the Court also set oral arguments on the petition on June 13, 14, and 15. Respondents in the case, led by Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Defense Secretary Delﬁn Lorenzana, were also told to submit their comments on the petition on or before Monday, June 12 at noon. Before the oral arguments, lawyers from both sides must attend a preliminary conference

on the case on the same day, at 2 p.m. The Constitution allows the Supreme Court to the declaration of martial law and the suspension of the writ of habeas corpus, and must promulgate its decision within 30 days of the ﬁling of a petition. Solicitor General Jose Calida, who will act as counsel for the public respondents in this case, has played down the petition, saying he expects the Supreme Court to dismiss the case. Calida said the claim by petitioners that there was no rebellion or invasion to justify the declaration of martial law was “a symptom of psychosis” and “detached from reality.” Calida also disputed the petitioners’ argument that President Duterte acted alone in declaring

DAVAO CITY—The father of the Maute brothers, Cayamora Maute, 67, along with four others were arrested by the Task Force Davao and police at a checkpoint in Sirawan, Toril, at 10 a.m. Tuesday. Police identified the four others as Norjannah Balawag Maute, daughter of Cayamora; Kongan Alfonso Balawag, second wife of Cayamora; Bengali Tingao, husband of Norjannah; and Aljon Salazar Ismael, driver. The martial law spokesman for the Eastern Mindanao Command, Brig. Gen. Gilbert Gapay said the five suspects tried to enter Davao City through the Sirawan entry point using a Black Toyota Grandia. “At the checkpoint Cayamora’s body was covered with a blanket and his face was also wrapped in cloth. This raised the suspicion of the authorities,” Gapay said. Gapay said that when they were asked for identification, the

TERRORIST TROVE. Bundles of cash amounting to P57 million (top) and checks worth an

additional P27 million (above) are recovered by the military near a Maute group machine gun position in Mapandi District of Marawi City on Monday, even as government forces continued their bombing runs on the militants’ well-entrenched positions (below), causing smoke to rise from the rubble. AFP with photos courtesy of Raffy Tima of GMA News

Govt bans deployment of workers to Qatar THE Philippines on Tuesday halted the deployment of workers to Qatar as the gas-rich Gulf state grappled with a diplomatic crisis after its neighbors cut ties with Doha. Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello said Manila was taking precautions as it feared that problems like food shortages could affect the more than 200,000 Filipinos in Qatar should the crisis worsen. Saudi Arabia and several of its allies on Monday severed relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting extremism in the biggest diplomatic crisis to have hit the Middle East’s Gulf region in

Graft court holds Misuari, co-accused from leaving By Maricel V. Cruz THE Sandiganbayan’s Third Division has issued a hold-departure order against former Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Gov. Nur Misuari over the six criminal charges leveled against him that stemmed from his alleged fraudulent procurement contracts worth P115.22 million. The anti-graft court issued the order after the Ofﬁce of the Ombudsman charged Misuari with three counts of graft and three counts of misuse of public funds. Misuari aside, the Sandiganbayan also issued hold-departure orders against his co-accused Director Leovegilda Cinches, MILF chief Nur Misuari

years. Bahrain, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Yemen and the Maldives also cut ties with Qatar, which Riyadh accused of supporting groups, including some backed by Iran “that aim to destabilize the region.” In the Senate, Senators Cynthia Villar and Nancy Binay urged the government to ensure the welfare and safety of the Filipino workers in Qatar. The Gulf states and Egypt said their diplomatic move included closing transport links with Qatar, which relies on imports from its Next page neighbors.

Aguirre: Lack of directional signs led to hotel tragedy By Joel E. Zurbano

‘SACRILEGIOUS RAMPAGE’. This video grab, which has gone viral

online, shows Maute gunmen in act of smashing a religious icon, one of the many destroyed at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Marawi City. The terror group also burned the church.

THE 37 victims of the attack on Resorts World Manila suffocated to death just a few meters from the fire exit, which could have taken them to safety had they been able to reach it to escape the burning casino complex, Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said Tuesday. He said the lack of directional signs might have made it difficult for the victims to escape the thick smoke engulfing the casino.

“The places where the 37 died―the comfort room and the high-rollers’ room―if they had gone straight ahead they would have found the exit,” Aguirre said citing information from the Southern Police District. Footage from the hotel and casino’s security cameras showed the gunman entering the gaming area, torching the gaming tables and slot machines and stealing gambling chips before committing suicide on the ﬁfth ﬂoor of Next page the hotel.

News

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

Supplemental ICC case vs Du30 By Macon Ramos-Araneta

ENATOR Antonio Trillanes IV and Magdalo Party-list Rep. Gary C. Alejano on Tuesday ﬁled a supplemental complaint against President Rodrigo Duterte before the International Criminal Court in The Hague.

In a 45-page communication submitted to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, Trillanes and Alejano provided updates to the submitted communication of lawyer Jude Sabio before the ICC regarding Duterte’s al-

leged violation of the Articles of Rome Statute by committing summary executions that constituted crimes against humanity as a result of his war on illegal drugs. Trillanes claimed that the

case against Duterte was very solid. He said Duterte repeatedly, explicitly and clearly pronounced a national policy of killing drug suspects and the Philippine National Police executed it. Trillanes and Alejano also included in the communication the list of killings that they said transpired after the first communication to the ICC was submitted on April 24 by Sabio. They said they also included other relevant incidents that proved that the killings happening around the country were being done systematically by the police through the so-called

legitimate police operations, or through vigilante-style executions, which were carried out by the police themselves, as part of vigilante groups or through their hired killers. Alejano said the abruptly terminated Senate hearings on the executions plus Duterte’s immunity from suit proved that the government was unwilling and unable to prosecute the perpetrators of the crimes. “Therefore, there is still a continuing veil of impunity which enables the carrying out of statesponsored killings,” Alejano said. “It is in this regard that we

are calling on the ICC to intervene and conduct a preliminary examination of the situation in the country in order to prevent further extrajudicial killings and render justice in the country.” The Rome Statute is the treaty that established the ICC, the first permanent international court that is capable of trying perpetrators of genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression, the Statute’s four core international crimes. The Philippines is a state party to the Rome Statute together with 123 other state parties after ratifying it in August 2011.

SC... From A1

martial law without the benefit of a recommendation from his Cabinet. “Nowhere in the Constitution does it state that the President’s declaration of martial law needs the recommendation or concurrence of the Defense secretary, or any Cabinet official,” he stressed. In the petition filed last Monday, Albay Rep. Edcel Lagman and six other congressmen asked the Court to exercise its power under the Constitution to review a President’s martial law declaration. Petitioners argued, in a nutshell, that there was no factual basis to justify the proclamation of martial law and the suspension of the privilege of writ of habeas corpus. They said the siege in Marawi is not rebellion or invasion, but rather an “armed resistance by the Maute group to shield Hapilon from capture, not to overrun Marawi and remove its allegiance from the republic.” A group of lawyers on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court to compel both the Senate and the House of Representatives to convene jointly to review President Duterte’s proclamation of martial law in Mindanao. Unlike the first petition filed by the opposition lawmakers, which sought to nullify Proclamation No. 216, the second assailed the action of both Houses of Congress to issue separate resolutions expressing support for the martial law declaration in Mindanao following attacks by local terror group Maute in Marawi City last month. The petitioners led by former senator Rene Saguisag asked the Court to compel the senators and congressmen to exercise their constitutional duty to hold a joint session to review the martial law declaration. Saguisag was joined by former Commission on Elections chairman and constitutional commission member Christian Monsod, former party-list lawmaker Loretta Ann Rosales, detained Senator Leila de Lima, former PhilHealth director Alexander Padilla and law professor Rene Gorospe. The petition also included a list of over 300 lawyers led by former solicitor general Florin Hilbay who signified their support. With Maricel V. Cruz

Govt...

From A1 “We are forseeing a possible problem in Qatar,” Bello said at a news conference. “For example, we know for a fact that Qatar does not produce its own food. If anything happens that they run out of food and food riots will take place, definitely our [workers]... will be the first victims. “That’s why we really need to make preparatory measures to meet a possible exigency.” Bello said there were 141,000 documented Filipino workers in Qatar as of last year, but the total number could surpass 200,000 if those without proper documents were counted. The ban will also affect the individuals whose papers have been approved or are scheduled to depart for Qatar, according to Bello. President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesman Ernesto Abella said the actions by the Gulf states might have “some ripple effects” on Filipino workers. He said government agencies would extend assistance to those affected. More than 10 million Filipinos work or stay permanently overseas, part of a global diaspora that sends back billions of dollars annually to help prop up the Philippine economy. AFP, with Vito Barcelo and Macon RamosAraneta

DISPLACED. Johainah Nasrodeng, 5, cries before the start of her class at a makeshift classroom for student evacuees at the Pantar Central Elementary School in Lanao del Norte on the southern island of Mindanao on June 6. The schoolchildren, some 238 of them, ﬂed with their parents by foot for eight hours from Marawi City to Pantar in a bid to escape heavy ﬁghting in Marawi City. AFP

Troops... From A1

“That’s why their numbers suddenly grew, because they used the money to recruit others into joining their fight against us,” the intelligence official said. As of June 4, based on a military report obtained by the Manila Standard, 115 terrorists— including three foreigners—had been killed, contradicting earlier reports that 10 foreigner fighters had died in the fighting. A total of 38 government troops and policemen have been killed in action and 143 others were wounded. The military said 19 civilians were killed in the clashes, while 1,236 were rescued from the hands of the terrorists. Government forces have

seized 95 high-powered firearms from the Maute and Abu Sayyaf terrorists. AFP chief Gen. Eduardo Año said they were on track to finishing the battle for Marawi City in three days. In Congress, a House leader said Tuesday that the cash and checks recovered from the Maute group house could have come from narco-politicians. “It could be drug money,” said Surigao del Norte Rep. Robert Ace Barbers, chairman of the House committee on dangerous drugs. “The Maute fighters do not have legitimate businesses.” Barbers said his panel intends to conduct a congressional probe to find out how the Maute group got hold of such money. The Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said it would try to identify

Maute... From A1

suspects presented various ID cards, but they recognized Cayamora as the partriarch of the Maute clan. Under questioning, he admitted to being the father of the Maute brothers, said Chief Supt. Manuel Gaerlan, police regional office director. “When we asked him about his real identify he admitted that he was Cayamora Makaraya Maute, the father of the Maute brothers and he broke down after that [and] he cried a lot,” Gaerlan said. Gaerlan said that Cayamora claimed that he went to Davao City for a medical checkup because he had some health problems. “To the Maute brothers in Marawi, there will be no swapping, only swapping of treatment. Take good care of your hostages and we will take care of your patriarch,” Gaerlan said. Cayamora has a standing warrant of arrest together with 89 others for five counts of kidnapping and serious illegal detention. Norjannah, on the other hand, has a warrant of arrest for illegal possesssion of blasting caps and triggering devices. The suspects will also be charged with rebellion. Police said they seized a .45 caliber pistol, a grenade and P363,000 from the suspects, who will be detained at the Davao City Police Office. Armed Forces of the Philippines chiefof-staff Gen. Eduardo Año on Tuesday announced that they are now validating reports

Graft... From A1

chief accountant Pangalian Maniri and supply officer Sittie Aisa Usman who are similarly facing six charges and are all from the Education Department. The hold-departure order also covers Education DepartmentARMM accountant Alladin Usi,

the source of the Maute loot. Incoming Bangko Sentral Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr., who will succeed outgoing Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. on July 3, said the central bank has experts who can help trace the source of the funds. “You have to first look at the physical evidence. We have experts who can do that so it has to be looked into,” Espenilla said. Presidential Spokesman Ernesto Abella said the recovery of the funds debunked some claims that troops were involved in looting in the war-torn city. “The AFP clearly shows it’s doing its job with honor and integrity and stands on moral high ground,” Abella said. Senator Panfilo Lacson said the authorities need to move quickly to identify the financi-

that Omar Maute, one of the founders of the Maute group, was killed during an airstrike in Marawi City on May 28. “The report is still not confirmed and we are still validating it. There is still the possibility that he is alive,” he said. Omar, the brother of Abdullah Maute, was earlier reported killed in February 2016 during the military offensive against them in Butig, Lanao del Sur. President Rodrigo Duterte has offered a P10-million reward for information leading to the arrest or killing of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, and P5 million for each Maute brother. The amount is on top of a $5-million bounty for Hapilon offered by the US government. Meanwhile, a Catholic bishop condemned the destruction of a cathedral inside Marawi City. Marawi Bishop Edwin de la Peña said the destruction of religious symbols by the terrorists revealed the true intention of the attackers, saying the militants went on a sacrilegious rampage and destroyed the St. Mary’s Cathedral. “We are angered by what happened. Our faith has really been trampled on,” the bishop said. The prelate said he had seen the video of Islamist militants destroying the cathedral. Islamic State news agency Amaq released the video, as the crisis in Marawi entered its second week. The video also showed some members of the Maute terror group, which claims affiliation with ISIS, yelling “Allahu Akbar” while smashing religious icons, tearing up images

ARMM resident auditor Nader Macagaan, and private individuals Cristeta Ramirez of CPR Publishing and Lolita Sambeli of White Orchid Printing and Publishing House. Ombudsman Prosecutor Modesto Onia Jr. and assistant special prosecutor Jorge Espinal said the procurement contracts were divided into three separate transactions. The first was dated

ers of the Maute terrorists that attacked Marawi City and other co-conspirators. The owner of the house where the money was found should be investigated, he added. He also raised the possibility that the loot could have been taken by the Maute attackers from the banks in Marawi City. “Either way, I take my hat off to our soldiers,” Lacson said. “No matter how battle-weary they are and considering the risk of life they’re going through, they were not tempted with the prospect of a comfortable life for themselves and their families. Instead, and stuck to their honor and integrity as professional members of the AFP,” he added. With Maricel V. Cruz, Macon Ramos-Araneta and Julito G. Rada

of Pope Francis and Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, and burning the church. “That is blasphemy! It’s unacceptable. It’s obvious that their actions are really out of this world. It’s demonic,” the bishop said. “The bandits really planned to destroy and burn the church. That’s really their plan even before the attack the city,” he said. “But we didn’t take it seriously because for us it was unthinkable that it’s going to happen in Marawi,” the prelate added. The militants also abducted Fr. Chito Suganob, the vicar general of the Marawi prelature, and some staff of the cathedral and churchgoers. The Supreme Court on Tuesday said the Cagayan de Oro City Regional Trial Court would hear all cases against members of the Maute terrorist group arising from their attack in Marawi City. Court spokesman Theodore Te also said the Court of Appeals in Mindanao would handle terrorism cases under the Human Security Act. The order was in response to an earlier request from the Justice Department for the creation of special courts outside Mindanao to handle the Maute cases. Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II said they would appeal the order. “It’s not okay with us because CDO is too near to the Lanaos and Marawi City. We will file a motion for reconsideration,” he said in a text message. Aguirre reiterated that the special courts should be in Luzon or Visayas in order to protect the judges and the judicial system from possible threats and acts of violence.

Dec. 21, 2000 involving P31 million worth of “information technology package”; another dated July 24, 2001 for P46.26 million worth of “multi-media information technology package”; and the last one dated September 2001 for P37.96 million worth of “educational materials.” The Ombudsman says all three purchase orders were fic-

titious as there was no evidence that actual deliveries took place. All defendants were held liable for allegedly causing undue injury to the government in the graft cases while the funds misuse charges accused them of conspiracy to defraud the regional government by allegedly pocketing the entire sums for their own benefits.

Wanda Teo's husband leads new appointees THE husband of Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and 12 others were appointed by President Rodrigo Duterte recently to various government positions in the administration. Roberto Teo was appointed by Duterte, as member of the board of directors of Land Bank of the Philippines Leasing and Finance Corp., replacing Carel Halog. Roberto Teo was Davao Assistant City Administrator for Operations. Oher appointments were: Alex Roldan, as Direcor IV of the Department of the Interior and Local Government, vice Ananias Vilacorta. Pedrito Angeles, as member, board of directors, Home Development Mutual Fund, vice Raul de Mesa. Leticia Damasco, as member, board of directors, Philippine Postal Savings Bank, vice Jay Lacsamana. Jaime Zita Paz, as member, representing the private sector, board of directors, Social Housing Finance Corp., vice Jovito Labajo. Emiliano Reyes, as member, representing the private sector, board of directors, Social Housing Finance Corp., vice Rodolfo Ma. Ponferrada. Leonardo Lopez, as member, representing the private sector, board of directors, Manila International Airport Authority, vice Helen Osias. Ricardo Juliano, as member, representing the private sector, board of directors, Land Bank of the Philippines Resources and Development Corp., vice Rodolfo Feraren. Jennifer Namoc-Yasol, Prosecutor IV of National Prosecution Service in Panabo City, vice Janet Fabrero. Annalyn Cuisia, member, board of trustees, Land Bank Countryside Development Foundation Inc., vice Domingo Diaz. Teresita Brazil, member, board of trustees, Land Bank Countryside Development Foundation Inc., vice Cecilia Borromeo. Conrado Miñano, member, board of directors, Land Bank of the Philippines Leasing and Finance Corp., vice Julio Climaco Jr., and Dimapuno Datu, as member, board of directors, Light Rail Transit Authority, vice Epictetus Patalinghug. Sandy Araneta

Aguirre:... From A1

Aguirre made his statement even as the Philippine National Police stressed the need for Resorts World Manila to enhance its security’s communication system as it failed during last week’s attack inside the posh hotel-casino that ended in the death of the 37 victims. “It’s their communication system which they really have to review because the frequencies are separate,” said Chief Supt. Jose Mario Espino, head of the PNP Supervisory Office for Security and Investigation Agencies. He said the tragedy could have been avoided if there had been a clear communication between the security personnel inside the casino and those monitoring the closed circuit televisions. Meanwhile, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Danilo Lim will meet members of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines to discuss security in their establishments in light of the incident at Resorts World Manila. “We will be coordinating with the security administrators for some target-hardening measures that may be employed,” said Lim, a former Army general. Most of the fatalities in Friday’s attack died from suffocation and smoke inhalation after the gunman Jessie Carlos fired shots at the ceiling and burned gaming tables before attempting to steal P113 million worth of casino chips. A Resorts World Manila security chief earlier said the casino’s sprinkler systems were activated during the fire and that there was proper ventilation in the building.

News

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

PET reset conference on Marcos Jr.’s poll protest By Rey E. Requejo

GOING HOME. Grade school students cross the streets with their parents after attending classes at the Rosauro Almario Elementary School in Tondo, Manila. Norman Cruz

DA’s Piñol formally joins PDP-Laban

Du30 assures Carpio on disputed sea policy

By Macon Araneta

By Sandy Araneta

AGRICULTURE Secretary Manny Piñol led the new batch of national and local officials who took their oaths as new members of the ruling Partido Demokratiko Pilipino-Lakas ng Bayan before Party and Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III recently. Piñol, former governor of North Cotabato, was named by Pimentel as “point person” of PDP Laban in his home province during simple oath-taking ceremonies, along with Quezon City 5th district Congressman Alfred Vargas and Cavite Vice Gov. Jolo Revilla. He became the third member of the Cabinet of President Rodrigo R. Duterte, Party Chairman, to officially become a member of PDP Laban after Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre, designated point person for Quezon province and Energy Secretary Al Cusi, party vice chairman and point-person for Mimaropa Region. Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez (1st district, Davao del Norte) is the party’s secretary-general who was responsible for the mass influx of 110 congressmen to PDP Laban to establish a supermajority in the House of Representatives even as a coalition of 17 senators composed a majority in the Senate. Pimentel said many local leaders, among them governors, city and municipal mayors and prominent political leaders, have already expressed their interest to join the PDP Laban which has also started to strengthen its international presence by forging ties with several foreign political parties. He said new party members are required to undergo a “Basic Membership Seminar” (BMS) during which the party constitution and by-laws, history and platform, among others, are being discussed by party elders and lecturers. The move to amend the 1987 Constitution to pave the way for the adoption of a federal system of government tops the advocacies of the PDP Laban, said Pimentel, adding that party leaders have been conducting forums nationwide to promote its advantages versus the highly-centralized unitary government. PDP Laban is the only major political party which espouses the shift to Federalism in its Party Constitution, the Party President said.

ALACAÑANG said on Tuesday that President Rodrigo Duterte respects Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio and at the same time assured the magistrate that the current policy towards China amid maritime disputes on the West Philippine Sea (also called the South China Sea) is meant to keep the peace in the region.

During a press brieﬁng, Presidential Spokesperson Ernesto Abella defended Duterte’s administration on the China strategy, even as Carpio claimed that the President did nothing to as-

sert the Philippine territories in the contested waters. “The President has respect for Justice Carpio,” Abella said. “And he can assure the Justice and the people of the Philip-

pines that the policies of this administration are not only directed at protecting the sovereignty of the republic, they’re also directed at ensuring that our nation and the region remains conﬂict-free,” Abella said. Abella said Duterte’s policy on China had made substantial progress in talks with Beijing, reduced tensions, and improved economic cooperation. Abella said Duterte sees the two objectives as “complementary” and “in the best interests” of the Philippines. “The President and his Cabinet are working with the government of all nations with legitimate interests in the South China Sea to ensure that our national interests are protected and the region remains a zone of peace,”

Abella said. “Confrontation does not serve the interests of our country and that is why we are committed to a process of engagement and negotiation that will ensure that our rights are respected and protected well into the future,” he added. “[The] question is, is it really better to sue China?” Abella said. On May 31, Duterte slammed Carpio for urging his administration to assert the Philippines’ claim over the West Philippine Sea, as upheld by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague in its July 2016 ruling. Duterte said Carpio, who was part of the delegation to The Hague, was the one who has done nothing to resolve the issue.

THE Supreme Court, sitting as Presidential Electoral Tribunal, has reset its preliminary conference on the election protest of former senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. against Vice P resident L eni R obredo. SC spokesman Theodore Te disclosed that the PET has resolved to move the preliminary conference originally scheduled on J une 21 t o J uly 11. The court action came despite an earlier appeal of Marcos for immediate proceedings and resolution of his election protest against Robredo’s election as vice president in 2016 polls. The SC official said both camps are also ordered to file their briefs at least five days before the said date and serve the s ame on t he a dverse pa rty. “This is without prejudice to the tribunal’s resolution of all remaining pending incidents,” the SC said in a media briefing. Earlier, Marcos has filed successive motions seeking immediate resolution of his election protest. Marcos also asked the tribunal to designate hearing commissioners ahead of the hearing to expedite the proceedings, hasten the decryption of ballot images from the clustered precincts of the 30 contested provinces subject of his poll protest and print the ballot image from the Secure Digital (SD) cards and/or data storage devices from each of the 36,465 protested clustered precincts in the contested areas ahead of the preliminary conference. The PET set the preliminary conference after requiring both Marcos and Robredo to pay cash deposits of P66.02 million and P15.44 million for their respective protest and counterprotest. Marcos filed the protest on June 29 last year, claiming that the camp of Robredo cheated in the automated polls in May also year. He sought annulment of about a million votes cast in three provinces—Lanao del Sur, Basilan and Maguindanao.

‘Apply passports for Hajj only at DFA’ Labor group: Security guards By Sara Susanne D. Fabunan THE Department of Foreign Affairs reminded the public on Tuesday to be extra vigilant against claims by any organization or individual to facilitate passport processing in time for Hajj. In a statement, the department said that Filipinos who wanted to participate in the pilgrimage may apply for regular passport at any DFA consular office after securing a valid online appointment and completion of documentary requirements. “Only holders of Philippine passports will be accepted for Hajj processing by Saudi authorities,” it said, adding that participants may also avail of courtesy lane facility if they qualify. The reminders was made to prevent the same

instance from happening in October last year when 117 Indonesia nationals who were bound for Medina, Saudi Arabia were arrested by immigration authorities at the Naia for carrying authentic Philippine passports. They were allegedly attending the pilgrimage but failed to acquire Hajj passport as Indonesia had run out of quota. “It is generally advised that Hajj participants apply for regular passport at least one year before the pilgrimage to ensure that the travel document is ready and on hand at the time of travel,” the DFA said. The Foreign Affairs also warned any syndicate that it will not “hesitate to take the necessary lawful action” against organizations or individuals violating the provisions of the Philippine Passport Act.

LEGAL EAGLES. Former solicitor general Florin Hilbay (second from left), ex-Commission on Human Rights chairperson Etta Rosales (second from right), ex-representative Barry Gutierrez (rightmost) and lawyer Alex Padilla display the documents they ﬁled before the Supreme Court on Tuesday, compelling the Senate and the House of Representatives to determine whether or not President Rodrigo Duterte’s martial law declaration was constitutional. Norman Cruz

must be regular employees By Vito Barcelo THE labor group Associated Labor Unions-Trade Union Congress of the Philippines has called for the abolition of contractualization of security guards to prevent a similar security lapses like what happened in the Resorts World Manila recently. “For security guards to render quality service, they should be in-house, directly hired by principal employers. Security guards should be regular employee of the principal business owner and not hired mere contractual,” ALU-TUCP spokesman Alan Tanjusay said. “Once they are directly hired, security guards will have more institutional loyalty, will receive less haphazard training, will be schooled not just in the handling of arms but in proﬁling, hand-to-hand combat, crowd management, and crowd control, which on the surface based on the tapes of Resorts World were sorely lacking, he said. Security guards play a vital role in businesses. They secure important assets, very important people, and the ﬁrst responders to natural and man-made crisis in establishments,” he added. Tanjusay said security guards are regular employees by security agencies but they are contractual employees by principal business owners, like the Resorts World Manila. Aside from having no secu-

rity of tenure, security guards are being abused by security agencies. “They work more than 12 hours in one day. They are poorly trained. They are being paid poorly and given no social security insurance by their agencies. It is high time for business owners to directly hire security guards,” Tanjusay said. Meanwhile, the labor group urged President Rodrigo Duterte to order the Labor Law Compliance Ofﬁcers of the Department of Labor and Employment to conduct joint inspections with labor groups of hotels, resorts, casinos, restaurants, malls, airports, seaports, and high-tourist density areas to ensure compliance to public safety and labor regulations. ALU vice president Louie Corral said Duterte should ensure the immediate passage of Senate Bill 1317, otherwise known as an act strengthening compliance with occupational safety and health standards and providing penalties for violations thereof. “The victims of smoke suffocation were hotel and casino guests and workers because of Resorts World’s lack of fire exits for workers and guests. To prevent this same grave incident, we are calling for the inspection of other hotels and malls to ensure compliance with guests and workers’ safety,” Corral added.

Opinion

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

EDITORIAL

The ugly American

T HAS become alarmingly apparent that the election of US President Donald Trump last year has brought out the worst characteristics in the American people. Emboldened by the US president’s simplistic and bigoted views of the world, racists and white supremacists have come out of the woodwork to spew hatred toward all things they view as foreign, wearing their ignorance on their sleeves.

Typically, Mr. Trump reaches the lowest common denominator in the American public with his posts on Twitter, bypassing, as he likes to point out, the traditional media and going straight to the people. Unfortunately, the “people” with whom his tweets resonate represent the ugly

Adelle Chua, Editor

underbelly of American society, who have neither the intellect nor the inclination to discern the value of just what Mr. Trump is saying. In the terse, pithy style that Twitter encourages, Trump’s lies and inflammatory remarks can be passed off as truth without the benefit of evidence. His

simplistic solutions to complex problems such as terrorism—ban immigration from Muslim countries— gain credence, particularly among the uneducated, who resent foreigners for taking jobs away from them, even though they would not have qualified for those jobs in the first place. In Portland, Oregon, a 35-year-old convicted felon fatally stabbed two passengers aboard a commuter train after they tried to stop him from harassing two young women who appeared to be Muslim. In March, a Sikh man was shot and injured in front of his house in a Se-

attle suburb. His attacker reportedly shouted “go back to your country.” In Kansas, a man walked into a bar and shot three men, including two immigrants from India, after shouting “get out of my country” and yelling racial slurs. This rise in racially motivated hate crimes, fanned by a president that is unabashedly anti-immigrant, has given rise to the perception that intolerance has become the new normal in the United States. Mr. Trump himself has continued to fan the flames of intolerance with his tweets on the recent London terror attacks, using them to urge US courts

to reinstate his travel ban. Then he took aim at the Muslim mayor of London. “At least 7 dead and 48 wounded in terror attack and Mayor of London says there is “no reason to be alarmed!” he tweeted, twisting the local official’s words out of context. The mayor, Sadiq Khan, had actually urged Londoners not to be alarmed by the increased police presence in the wake of the terror attacks. “There’s no reason to be alarmed,” the mayor said of the increased police presence. “One of the things the police and all of us need to do is ensure that we’re as safe as we possibly can be.”

In their 1958 political novel The Ugly American, author Eugene Burdick and William Lederer depicted the failure of the US diplomatic corps, who were insensitive to the local language, culture and customs of the countries to which they were posted. Mr. Trump’s updated version of the ugly American is far worse, going beyond an inability to engage the world to antagonizing it with hatred and ignorance. It is a pity that these ugly Americans have come to the forefront, overshadowing the millions of their better educated countrymen who are decent, open and tolerant. VIRTUAL REALITY TONY LOPEZ

Extend Duterte’s martial law?

with the abuses committed by men in uniform during the Marcos martial law years are hard to forget. But even that does not excuse our shabby and sometimes downright hostile treatment of our soldiers, especially in times likes these, when we are fighting a war against terrorism. A friend currently in the United States, Trixie Cruz-Angeles, has expressed admiration for the way ordinary Americans treat their soldiers, whether still in active duty or retired. In a Facebook post, Angeles noted how public address systems routinely announce that if there are any soldiers present, they may go to the front of the ubiquitous lines formed for any service. Angeles witnessed how civilians greet soldiers they don’t even know with a smile and the usual salutation, “Thank you for your service.”

“MARTIAL law only addresses the military aspect of terrorist threats in Mindanao,” says security expert Dr. Rommel Banlaoi. “Terrorism in the Philippines has many underlying conditions that a military action alone cannot address.” Dr Banlaoi is chairman of the Philippine Institute for Peace, Violence and Terrorism Research. He is also director of the Center for Intelligence and National Security Studies. These underlying conditions, Banlaoi relates, include “the historical injustice committed against Muslims in Mindanao, the relative deprivation of many people there, and their continued marginalization due to social, religious and cultural factors, among others.” Thus, expect martial law in Mindanao, which began on May 23, can last more than the promised 60 days under Presidential Proclamation 216. And I think even the Supreme Court cannot stop an extension of the emergency rule beyond 60 days. President Duterte, the commander-in-chief, is right: Only the police and the armed forces can say whether it is okay to lift or extend martial law. And considering how spotty the military’s performance has been in containing the Maute rebellion and how inept the Philippine National Police was in subduing a deranged gambler who went berserk at Resorts World Manila last Friday, not even the military can say for sure just when to lift martial law. The London police took only eight minutes to kill three terrorists in an open-air arena. The PNP took more than four hours to corner the RW gunman and that was because the suspect killed and burned himself, without need for the police to engage him in a gunﬁght in an enclosed, controlled area. Explains Banlaoi: “Addressing the underlying conditions requires political actions that can be addressed through a negotiated political settlement and not through military armaments.” Thus, beyond martial law, the Philippine government has to sustain the Mindanao peace process to solve the non-military aspect of the Mindanao problem. The Maute Group’s decisive attempt on May 23 to place Marawi City under its control on behalf of the Islamic State

Turn to A5

Follow the money LOWDOWN

JOJO A. ROBLES SOLDIERS are trained to expect anything in a conflict situation. But I’m sure certain members of the Philippine Marines were not prepared to find millions in cold cash and checks in the Marawi war zone. At the very least, the discovery of P79 million in cash and checks in a house abandoned by the terrorist Maute group in Marawi City gives the lie to the claim of some misguided politicians that the military is involved in alleged looting of the beleaguered city. The Marines who found the loot showed incredible discipline when they turned it over, untouched, to higher authorities. On the other hand, the huge amount of money raises ques-

tions about its provenance and the possibility that the Maute gang did not just decide to take over Marawi for altruistic purposes, like to establish a province of the Islamic State in the Philippines. There is money— and lots of it—involved in this incursion. Earlier reports, after all, indicated that the Maute terrorists were receiving funding from abroad, from illegal drug syndicates and even local officials —or even from foreign drug syndicates working with some local officials. The discovery of this stash of cash confirms the reports that some very wellheeled people are backing the terrorists. One check in particular caught my attention. It was issued by the Veterans Bank account of the municipality of Tampakan town in South Cotabato bearing the face value of more than P6 million to a private individual.

The check certainly looked legit and was signed by both the municipal treasurer and the local mayor. How that particular check ended up in the hands

Finding the source of the money will go a long way in discovering who conceived this terrible tragedy.

of Maute terrorists is still anyone’s guess. But I think one theory that can easily be discarded is the one that says that the money belonged to some local busi-

nessman. No offense to the business-savvy Maranaos who populate Marawi, but I don’t believe that the volume of trade in the city does not justify anyone keeping as huge a hoard of cash as that found in only one house taken over by terrorists. There’s also the matter of the cash in neat, bank-issued bundles, still bearing the names of the banks that released it to the still-unknown recipients. The Anti-Money Laundering Council can certainly figure out which banks paid out the money to which persons, assuming that AMLC can get off its behind and perform its mandate. Money changes everything, the old song says. In the case of the terrorist takeover of Marawi City, finding the source of the money will probably go a long way in discovering the unholy, cash-rich alliance that conceived this terrible tragedy. *** I guess our sad experience

Rolando G. Estabillo Publisher can be accessed at: thestandard.com.ph

Benjamin Philip G. Romualdez Former Chief Justice Reynato S. Puno

Philippine Press Institute The National Association of Philippine Newspapers

Anita F. Grefal Baldwin R. Felipe Edgar M. Valmorida

ManilaStandard

Published Monday to Sunday by Philippine Manila Standard Publishing Inc. at 6/F Universal Re Building, 106 Paseo de Roxas, corner Perea St., Legaspi Village, Makati City. Telephone numbers 832-5554, 832-5556, 832-5558 (connecting all departments), (Editorial) 832-5554, (Advertising) 832-5550. P.O. Box 2933, Manila Central Post Ofﬁce, Manila. Website: www.thestandard. com.ph; e-mail: contact@thestandard.com.ph

ONLINE MEMBER

PPI

Chairman Board Member & Chief Legal Adviser Treasury Manager OIC-Ad Solutions Circulation Manager

Ramonchito L. Tomeldan Chin Wong/Ray S. Eñano Joyce Pangco Pañares Adelle Chua

Managing Editor Associate Editors City Editor Opinion Editor

Emil P. Jurado

Honor Blanco Cabie Romel J. Mendez Roberto Cabrera

Chairman Emeritus, Editorial Board

Night Editor Art Director Chief Photographer

Opinion BACK CHANNEL

Good and evil *** An investigation into what happened at Resorts World Manila would be good because it can prevent a repeat of the tragedy. Deﬁnitely, there were security lapses and we all saw these in the CCTV footage. My gulay, some of the security people were seen running when they saw the masked gunman. And why were the guards not armed? The RWM management has a lot of explaining to do. This is a wake-up call to all casinos nationwide. There is no substitute for vigilance. Terrorism can happen anytime, anywhere. *** Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio warned that we may end up just following Beijing’s foreign policy if we do not raise the fact that we won the arbitration case we had ﬁled against China before the Permanent Court of Arbitration. He called this the Finlandization of the Philippines. According to Carpio, Finlandization is the neutralization of a small and vulnerable country (like the Philippines) so that a powerful neighbor (like China) would not take over it. The term was coined during the Cold War when the Soviet Union rendered Finland, which shares a long border with the communist giant, neutral so it could remain sovereign— even just in name. Carpio said that with China claiming a big part of the South China Sea, it would share a 1,700-kilometer border with the Philippines leaving only a tiny sliver of water in Manila’s exclusive economic zone. He raised the possibility that China could build up Panatag Shoal (internationally known as Scarborough Shoal) which is why the Duterte administration must assert the Philippines’ victory in the arbitral ruling. Carpio’s view is supported by many. I do, too. The problem is that China has, time and again, said it does not respect the arbitral ruling because it is not a party to it. The big question: What do we do? President Duterte’s quandary is that if we insist on our claim, there might be war. And we are not prepared for this. We might have the Mutual Defense Treaty with the United States, but are we sure the US would defend us? In his effort to pursue an “independent foreign policy,” President Duterte may end up saying “Amen” to everything China says.

Follow... From A4

mon Ang, who pledged to give P2 million in livelihood assistance to the families of all the soldiers and policemen who died in the Marawi City conflict. But the least we can do is to support out troops and not to belittle their sacrifice for the good of the nation. If not for the sacrifice of our brave men and women in uniform, God knows how we could remain free, live peaceful lives and, yes, even criticize the military when we don’t agree with what they’re doing. In the fight against terrorism, in Marawi and anywhere in the world, soldiers are at the forefront of keeping the citizenry safe. Thank you for your service. Your nation owes you in ways that it will never be able to pay you back.

Gambling can be regulated, and regulated well.

“I may not agree with the wars that these soldiers wage, but I admire and appreciate them for voluntarily placing themselves in harm’s way for their country,” Angeles wrote. “I wish we could do the same when we see our men in uniform.” We should all spare a thought for our own soldiers and, according to our own beliefs, pray for their safety wherever they are, whether they are fighting insurgents or terrorists,” Angeles wrote. And we should thank them for their service of keeping all of us safe in these perilous times. We can’t all be like San Miguel Corp. head honcho Ra-

mst.daydesk@gmail.com

The twisted minds of terrorists

TO THE POINT EMIL P. JURADO

THE recent incident at Resorts World Manila where a lone gunman—addicted to gambling but banned by the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. from all casinos—caused the death of 37 people brings to fore the good and the evil in gambling. Is the presence of so many casinos, some of which are owned and operated by the government, good for the people and the economy? We all know the evils of gambling. Many of whom who indulge in it get addicted. That gunman, for instance, had become heavily indebted and had sold everything. His parents and his wife had sought the help of Pagcor to ban him from casinos. The addiction to gambling wrecks families. Jesse Javier Carlos committed suicide and caused the deaths of others. So, should the government now close down all casino and prohibit all gambling in the country? I admit that illegal forms of gambling deprive the government of much-needed revenue. But legal gambling can be regulated well. It can provide the government much-needed revenue. This is why Pagcor was created in the ﬁrst place. So on the suggestion to ban gambling? I think it boils down to balancing what is good for the people and for the economy. I have gone on record in my support of the entry of big casinos here, for the sake of tourism and entertainment. Sure, there are downsides to this. Indeed, uncontrolled gambling can have a disastrous impact on families. Then again, one can always regulate. Pagcor can, as in the case of Carlos, always ban individuals from casinos. It has no less than 450 names banned. Gambling, per se, is not evil. It is when it is abused that it becomes evil. Why must we throw the baby out with the bathwater? What must be stopped is illegal gambling. As I said, it deprives the government of revenues and it promotes corruption among public officials, the police and the military. The gaming and entertainment industry is a $100-billion industry worldwide. If the Philippines can partake of this, why not give it a shot? But we must do it well, of course. I myself, with my family, have gone to Las Vegas and Macau. I have gambled, but always set a limit for myself. During these trips, I always spent more for accommodations and food.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

ALEJANDRO DEL ROSARIO INDONESIAN authorities informed the Philippine government there are at least 1,200 Islamic State terrorists operating in the country. These terrorists are in fact all over the world committing murder and mayhem without any regard for the lives of innocent civilians. In their twisted minds, these terrorists are killing machines. Suicide bombers detonate themselves in crowded places, exacting heavy toll. Collateral casualties often include women and children. In their perverse thinking, their action and their death would bring them to the kingdom of Allah with seven virgins waiting to give them pleasure as reward. In the most recent cases of terrorist attack, 23 people were killed in a crowded Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England. Less than two weeks later, when three terrorists in a van rammed down civilians in London bridge and then stabbed

those who were able to evade the vehicle. The death toll: Seven killed and dozens wounded. Why is London the favorite killing ground of terrorists? Several years back, the London Underground trains were bombed by terrorists who simultaneously carried out bombings on street buses. Paris, Nice, Brussels and Frankfurt have also not been spared. The iconic World Trade Center in New York took the heaviest blow from terrorists who hijacked four jumbo jetliners and crashed two of them into the twin towers, killing more than 5,000 people and reducing the buildings to rubble and ashes. The Taliban, Al Qaeda and now the more vicious ISIS are all over the planet. The killing of Al Qaeda leader Osama Bin Laden by a US commando team who raided his hideout in Pakistan did not stop global terrorism from morphing into another dreaded monster. Global terrorism is like a many-headed Hydra. It reinvents itself, getting more vicious. We have to take the Indonesians’ word that there are some 1,200 IS terrorists operating in the Philippines even if our own ofﬁcials say the report is un-

confirmed. Do we have to wait for IS terrorists to attack Metro Manila’s shopping malls before the government confirms their presence? Yet, our military and police forces fighting the Mautes for control of Marawi City claim there are foreign terrorists embedded in the enemy’s ranks (a few from Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia ) which should explain why government troops are still unable to dislodge them. Aside from using snipers and turning their hostages into human shields, the Mautes are also using, as refuge, places of worship like mosques which government planes so far have not bombed out of respect for the Islamic religion. President Rodrigo Duterte, meanwhile, has raised the bounty, dead or alive, on the head of Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon to P17.4 million, Hapilon is reportedly leading the Mautes in the siege of Malawi. He also carries a $5 million price on his head put up the US government. The fear of the ISIS scourge has raised the concern among Middle East countries. Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have severed

diplomatic relations with Qatar because of allegations it is supporting terrorist groups . US President Donald Trump wants to ban Muslim immigrants and visitors to America. Maybe there is some method to his madness after all. Aside from the attack on the Twin Towers, the bombing at the ﬁnish line of the Boston marathon was done by Islamist extremists—two brothers granted US citizenship. But Trump’s idea of building a wall along the US-Mexico border and making the Mexicans pay for it is absurd. Mexico is a friendly neighbor and the US beneﬁts from the many Mexicans working as domestics and farm workers, whether they are documented or not. Like Duterte, Trump seems to have a penchant for doing the unorthodox and upsetting a whole range of world order. He wants to pull out the US from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization saying it’s a waste of government money. The US is a vital cog in Nato’s defense of the West and its shared values with the rest of Europe. Trump’s latest decision not to sign the Paris accord on climate change has unsettled environmentalists worldwide.

Paris is the world SO I SEE LITO BANAYO JUST before the Donald announced that he was rejecting the climate change agreement ﬁnally hammered in Paris two years ago, he concluded, wrongly it turned out, that the Resorts World tragedy was the work of terrorists. Of course, IS claimed responsibility, but then again, they always lay claim to every evil act of terrorism anywhere in the world. But that the president of the United States would so conclude without checking the usually accurate US intelligence network says a lot about the man the US of A elected months ago. In any case, he declared that “as of today, the United States will cease all implementation of the non-binding Paris agreement.” And in a moment of arrogance couched in campaignstyle language, Trump said that he “was elected to represent Pittsburgh [a coal and steel city] not Paris.” Responding to Trump’s pointing to his city, Pittsburgh, Mayor Bill Peduto called the decision “disastrous for our planet, for cities such as Pitts-

Extend... From A4

of Iraq and Syria prompted the Philippine government to take this so-called “Marcosian” measure. Duterte himself admitted that ISIS has established strong presence in Mindanao to create an Islamic State aligned to ISIS. Martial law is a draconian measure to respond to the draconian threat of ISIS in the Philippines. ISIS is encouraging all supporters worldwide to come to the Philippines to perform jihad. Warns Banlaoi: “Without a strong measure like martial law, there is a high risk for the Philippines to fall under ISIS terror threats as indicated in various ISIS propaganda materials in social media stating “For those who cannot move to the land of Syria, join the Mujahideen in the Philippines. If you cannot do that, send your sons to the land of jihad in the Philippines. And if you cannot send your sons, then send your money to support the Mujahideen.”.” Banlaoi traces the genesis of the Maute Group. Maute is a Lanao del Sur– based terrorist group in Mindanao that has pledged allegiance to ISIS. Its members are led by the prominent Maute family of Butig, Lanao del Sur where the group established its political base and military training camps. The Philippine military dis-

burgh,” and a step that “has made America weaker and the world less safe.” Indeed, Mr. Donald Trump. The way the entire world is being irreversibly placed on disaster mode by climate change, we might as well remind you that Paris is the world. America under the Donald is entering a dangerous isolationist phase. By looking at the Wall Street indicia as the be-all and end-all of his governance, Trump is surely surrendering America’s leadership to China, and is being isolated even from its closest allies in the European Union. And China under Xi Jinping is gleefully stepping onto the plate. No wonder there is that saying, “in the end, China will win?” *** We grieve with the families of those who perished in the Resorts World tragedy that happened just as the month of June began. We condole with our friend, Rep. Dong Gonzales of Pampanga, whose wife Elizabeth died in that single night of madness. Four Taiwan citizens perished in that tragedy, which turned out to be the handiwork of a strangely deranged man who was a big loser in the gaming tables. But then again, do we ever learn? We had a horrible ﬁre at the Ozone Disco in Quezon City

a decade or so ago, where hundreds perished. In the Resorts World incident, clearly both managers and security agents panicked and did not know how to care for their clientele. “Puro porma lang pala ang mga sikyu,” my driver quipped upon viewing the footages. There are so many questions that the Megaworld group who owns and operates that casino need to answer. It was clear from the footages caught on CCTV that the fire sprinkler system was not working. For a five-star casino resort with plush hotels beside it, this is unthinkable. There were so many obvious faults, and government must get to the bottom of these, and file cases against the miscreant. We cannot afford to be complacent, or chuck these things as acts of fate. *** The day before the incident, we were holding a press conference at the Far Eastern Shangri-La in Taipei to announce the activities to celebrate our forthcoming 119th anniversary as a sovereign and independent republic. We opened a culinary festival in that hotel, where Philippine cuisine is being featured for the next two weeks in their daily buffet offerings. Two chefs were flown in from our country, one from Edsa Shangri-La in Mandaluyong, and another

from Tagaytay Highlands, to collaborate with the executive chef in Taipei, a Frenchman who has worked previously at the Makati Shangri-La. Together with our trade and tourism attachés in Taiwan, we had been assiduously promoting our country to a potentially big market so very near the Philippines. And then, already worried about Marawi, and assuring the Taiwan media about things normalizing “pretty soon,” we got the shocking news the day after about Resorts World, where four Taiwanese citizens died. Oh well…we cannot fold our arms and just sigh. We simply have to keep trying. These negative incidents shall pass. *** Through it all, one is left being thankful that we have a strong-willed president to face all these difﬁcult challenges. We know he will not shirk from the responsibility bestowed upon him by his mandate, nor would he betray the trust reposed upon him by his people. His immediate visits to fallen soldiers and policemen, and his midnight visit to some of the victims of the Resorts World tragedy in the funeral parlors speaks in digniﬁed silence of the character of the president. Truly, “tapang at malasakit.” Imagine if we had a wimp leading us in these trying times?

covered the existence of this group in July 2012 in the aftermath of a raid in Butig to pursue an Indonesian national, Sanusi, who was propagating ISIS ideology in Mindanao. Sanusi, who posed as a student in Mindanao State University (MSU) Marawi using the name Mansor Pamaloy, was eventually killed in Marawi City in November 2012. In the aftermath of Sanusi’s death, the Philippine government discovered in Butig various improvised explosive devices, propaganda materials and black ﬂags associated with ISIS. In September 2014, the Maute family performed a bay’ah or pledge of allegiance to ISIS and announced the establishment of the Daulah Islamiyyah Fi Ranao or the Islamic State of Lanao. The Maute family formed two armed groups called: Khilafah sa Jabal Uhod (Soldiers of Islam in Mouth Uhod) and Khilafah sa Ranao (Soldiers of Islam in Lanao) headed by the Maute brothers: Omarkayam Maute and Abdullah Maute. Yesterday, the military expressed the belief they have killed one of the two brothers during an aerial bombing in Marawi. In Davao City yesterday morning, their ailing father, Cayamora M. Maute, was arrested at a checkpoint, together with a daughter, plus a huge cash stash. In February 2016, the Maute Group demonstrated its ﬁrst barbaric act on behalf of the

ISIS when it beheaded a Philippine army officer in Butig. In April 2016, the Maute Group beheaded two Christian workers on behalf of the ISIS. The Maute Group’s most notorious act of terror was the bombing of Davao City on Sept. 2, 2016 that claimed the lives of at least 14 victims and injury of at least 70 others. By this time, the Maute Group has organized almost 400 armed followers mostly young people trained in its military camps in Butig. The Khilafah Islammiyah Mindanao (KIM) founded by Humam Abdul Najid formally joined the Maute Group. The Maute Group’s growing military strength and political influence prompted the Philippine government to launch military offensives against them in November 2016 after the Maute Group’s attempt to control Butig town by raising the flag of ISIS in the municipal hall. In was during the these military offensives when the Philippine government discovered the presence of Isnilon Hapilon in Butig fighting side by side with the Maute Group. Isnilon Hapilon is one of the original founders of the Abu Sayyaf Group originally led by Abdurajak Janjalani. He is better known as the ASG Commander in Basilan. In June 2014, Hapilon pledged allegiance to ISIS making his faction of the ASG in Basilan as part of the ISIS caliphate.

In January 2016, he formed the Dahwatul Islamiyyah Wilayatul Mashriq (DIWM) as an umbrella organization of ISIS followers in the Philippines. ISIS regards the DIWM as the Islamic State East Asia Division composed initially of the ASG, Anshar Khalifa Philippines (AKP), Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF), and other local and foreign terrorist personalities. Hapilon went to Butig to integrate the Maute Group in the DIWM in order to establish the Dawlah Islamiyah Mindanao. On May 23, military tried to arrest Hapilon in Marawi. They failed and that started the war that has gone on for two weeks. Banlaoi says Hapilon was actually in Marawi City to solidify the formation of Dawlah Islamiyah Mindanao with the Maute Group as its main fighting force together with other armed groups in Mindanao that have pledged allegiance to ISIS like the ASG, AKP, BIFF, and KIM. Foreign terrorist personalities from Indonesia Malaysia, India, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and others joined the fight against government forces. On the same day of the start of the fighting, ISIS in its Amaq News Agency announced that those fighting government forces in Marawi City were Islamic State (IS) soldiers. ISIS has intention of establishing a territory in Marawi City. biznewsasia@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 mst.daydesk@gmail.com

News

Ex-mayor charged with grave misconduct By Rio N. Araja THE Office of the Ombudsman found on Tuesday a former mayor from Bohol guilty of grave misconduct for allowing the operation of four illegal cockfighting in 2013 and 2014. In a 15-page decision, Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales imposed on ex-Mabini mayor Esther Fostanes-Tabigue the penalty of dismissal from the service with forfeiture of all her retirement benefits and perpetual disqualification from holding public office. “However, in view of her separation from the service, the penalty is convertible to a fine equivalent to her one-year salary,” it read. The case arose from a complaint filed by one Danilo Du, the town’s cockpit franchisee since 2009. Despite substantial compliance with the requirements, Tabigue was alleged to have arbitrarily refused to renew Du’s license to operate a cockpit in 2014. The Ombudsman said the respondent also allowed the conduct of illegal cockfighting in violation of Presidential Decree 449 requiring that cockfighting events for charitable purposes must support a national, not merely local, fundraising campaign approved by the President to be held in a licensed cockpit, park or playground. “It is the law, an ordinance or some well-defined officially written regulation that should define the detailed requirements for the issuance of a license to operate a cockpit and not the respondent. As far as PD 449, PD 1602, PD 1608 and Municipal Ordinance No. 3, Series of 2006 are concerned, complainant had already complied with the basic requirements and respondent is already bereft of any reason to deny it. This is especially so when, at that time, the municipality had been illegally granting permits to conduct cockfighting events during town fiestas in places other than a licensed cockpit,” the Ombudsman said.

SBMA must reorganize with EO340 A REORGANIZATION at the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority looms after the House of Representatives questioned the legality of Executive Order 340 which separated the power and functions of the SBMA administrator and chairman. Speaking during a meeting at SBMA of the special committee on bases conversion, Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez said that a mere EO cannot supersede Republic Act 7227, or the Bases Conversion and Development Act of 1992. RA 7227 provides that the President “shall appoint a professional manager as administrator of the Subic Authority with the compensation to be determined by the Board subject to the approval of the Secretary of Budget, who shall be the ex-officio Chairman of the Board and who shall serve as Chief Executive Officer of the Subic Authority.” Alvarez said the law is clear that there will be only one position for the SBMA chairman and administrator, contrary to EO 340 which was signed by then President and Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2004. Alvarez acknowledged that the separation of the chairman and administrator positions has resulted to a power struggle at the SBMA last year after chairman Martin Diño refused to recognize an OIC-administrator appointed by Malacañang. Last week, Diño issued Administrative Order 01-2017, which created a task force under his office ostensibly to “inspect, monitor and faithfully implement the laws in the conduct of business and financial operations and collections” of the SBMA. Diño filled up the task force with personnel mostly from his personal staff. Other members of the SBMA Board of Directors decried Diño’s move, saying the creation of the task force will effectively remove their oversight duties as directors of the agency. Maricel V. Cruz

GIANT PEST. A pest control man sprays pest insecticide into a Giant mosquito Mascot during the Pest Exterminators Association of the Philippines Inc.-led launch of the ﬁrst-ever Global Pest Awareness Day held at the Quirino Grandstand at the Luneta Park in Manila. Lino Santos

‘Use of toilets at transport stations should be for free’ By Maricel V. Cruz

HE House of Representatives has approved on third and ﬁnal reading a proposal to prohibit the collection of fees from passengers for the use of sanitary facilities located in the land transportation terminals, stations, stops and rest areas.

The proposal, embodied in House Bill 725 principally authored by the late Rep. Maximo Dalog of Mountain Province, was passed at the Lower House before Congress adjourns sine die last May 31. The bill declares that the right of every establishment to a fair return of investment carries with it a corresponding social responsibility to provide adequate facilities for the comfort of its clientele. In pushing for the bill's passage, Dalog said that for the benefit of

the riding public who patronize common carriers, the collection of fees from the passengers using comfort rooms and service facilities in the bus terminals or stations, bus stops, and rest areas should be stopped immediately. Dalog cited Presidential Decree 856, otherwise known as the “Code on Sanitation,” states as one of its basis the need to provide for an adequate number of rest areas for passengers of private and public conveyances plying the highways

to cater to the comfort and personal convenience and needs of travelers. Moreover, Dalog said Article 1755 of the New Civil Code of the Philippines states that a common carrier is bound to carry the passengers safely as far as human care and foresight can provide, using the utmost diligence of very cautious persons, with due regard for all the circumstances. “The maintenance of these comfort rooms and service facilities is part of the services for human care of common carriers. Thus, additional payment for maintenance of these facilities should not be imposed on the riding public. In addition, the collection of fees for the use of comfort rooms and service facilities is an added burden to the riding public; hence, making travel within the country more expensive,” said Dalog.

In filing the bill, Dalog acknowledged the constitutional provision where the State shall require the owners, operators and administrators of land transport terminals, stations, stops and rest areas to provide and maintain suitable and clean sanitary facilities, free of charge to passengers and travelers. Section 3 of the bill provides it shall be unlawful for the owner, operator or administrator of land transport terminals, stations, stops and rest areas to collect fees from passengers for the use of regular sanitary facilities therein. Dalog said the bill provides that concerned passengers must only show the paid bus ticket for the day in order to avail of the free use of the sanitary facility. The provisions of the Act shall not apply to separate, well-appointed or deluxe sanitary facilities that are

operated solely for commercial purposes and for the convenience of passengers who require and prefer such facilities within land transport terminals, stations, stops or rest areas, he added. Section 4 of the bill provides that any owner, operator or administrator of land transport terminals, stations, stops and rest areas who violates the prohibition in Section 3 shall be liable for a fine amounting to P5,000. The Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board shall, after five years from the effectivity of the Act and once every five years thereafter, review the applicability and enforcement of the fine and the necessary adjustments on the amount of fine imposed subject to the approval of the secretary of the Department of Transportation.

Despite Mideast crisis, flights to Qatar will continue—PAL By Joel E. Zurbano

IN FIGHTING FORM. Lawyer Lorna Kapunan explains a point during a press conference in

a restaurant in Quezon City on Tuesday regarding the diarrhea outbreak that occurred inside the New Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City. The outbreak resulted in the hospitalization of an undetermined number of inmates. Kapunan’s client, Mang Kiko catering services, was blamed by the Bureau of Corrections and the Deapartment of Justice for the incident. Manny Palmero

FLAG carrier Philippine Airlines on Tuesday announced its flights to the Middle East will continue despite the ongoing row between Qatar and a bloc of ME countries— United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Yemen. PAL operates 30 flights per week to the Middle East—seven flights weekly to Dubai; four to Kuwait; four to Doha; five to Dammam; three to Jeddah and seven to Riyadh. “While PAL is not a party to the dispute and maintains strong bilateral ties to these countries, it shall observe guidelines issued by said nations,” said PAL spokesperson and External Communications head Ma. Cielo Villaluna. The Abu Dhabi Airport Immigration earlier announced that effective immediately, all UAE nationals and holders of all passport types are not allowed to travel/enter Qatar or to transit through Qatar Airports and all Qatari nationals and holders of all passports type are not allowed to travel/enter to UAE

or to transit through UAE Airports. Villaluna said in light of these guidelines, Philippine Airlines shall not carry Qatari nationals into the UAE (Abu Dhabi/ Dubai) and shall not carry UAE nationals into Qatar (Doha). All Qatari diplomats in the UAE are given 48 hours to leave the country and all other Qatari nationals in UAE are given 14 days (June 5 to June 19) to leave the country. “PAL continues to monitor the situation and shall issue updates and announcements, as needed,” said Villaluna. PAL PR 656 (Manila-Abu Dhabi-Doha) departs Manila every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 12:30 a.m. and arrives in Abu Dhabi at 5:45 a.m. (local time) and in Doha at 8:15 a.m. (local time). PAL recently opened the regular service to Doha, Qatar and the aircraft offers economy and premium economy service. Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Doha earlier stated that Etihad Airways, Emirates Airlines and other regional carriers have suspended flights to and from Doha.

National Bilibid Prison food caterer hits back at BuCor officials THE caterer of food for 40,000 inmates of the National Bilibid Prison in Muntinlupa City and four other regional prisons challenged on Tuesday Bureau of Corrections director-general Benjamin delos Santos to “prove he is clean and that he is not corrupt” in the negotiations of the so-called “single largest contract issue.” At a news conference in Quezon City, Lorna Kapunan, lawyer of Mang Kiko Catering Services Inc., questioned BuCor for its plan to terminate its “emergency contract” with the catering firm in July, and

to tap another catering services purportedly belonging to a member of Lex Taliones fraternity. She asked the timing of BuCor not to renew the contract of Mang Kiko when the issue of the supposed “food poisoning” at the national penitentiary on May 25 and May 26 broke out. “Six months ago, Mang Kiko won the bidding to cater food for the inmates of Leyte [Regional Prisons in Abuyog, Leyte], Davao [Prison Farm in Panabo, Davao del Norte], [Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Puerto Princesa City] Palawan, and

[San Ramon Prison and Penal Farm in] Zamboanga City in July this year and until December. What we have now is just an emergency contract to lapse by the end of June,” she told reporters. She said BuCor’s bids and awards committee, headed by Dr. Cynthia Andrada, officer in charge of the Assessment and Rehabilitation Program Development and Monitoring Division, declared the December 2016 bidding a failure on the ground of collusion. As far as the catering services company is concerned, Kapunan

said “Andrada will have to face administrative and criminal charges before the Office of the Ombudsman for graft, partiality in bad faith, violation of Code of Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, gross neglect and misconduct.” “It is illegal not to award the catering to Mang Kiko. The committee said the bidding was ineffective, and that a rebidding was necessary. Mang Kiko had already won the bid for the provincial colonies. There is no legal basis for a rebid,” she stressed. Last May 18, BuCor's BAC called

for a bidding of the 2017 catering services for the prisoners of NBP and Correctional Institute for Women in Mandaluyong City at the amount of P184,478,400 (lot 1), P91,223,520 (lot 2) and P29,478,840 (lot 3). “Yes, because the single largest completed contract requirement was disregarded,” said Navarro when asked if Mang Kiko questioned the May 18 bidding. He was referring to the contract awarding of the consolidated catering services for Metro Manila and the regional prison colonies between BuCor and Mang Kiko. Rio N. Araja

Sports

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

Ababa upbeat in ICTSI golf J HONNEL Ababa is unfazed by Clyde Mondilla’s surge and exudes confidence as he sets out for the P2.5 million ICTSI Calatagan Golf Challenge beginning today (Wednesday) at the Calatagan Golf Club in Batangas.

Back on the course he calls home, he said he has the edge among the 82-player international field on the rolling, tight layout, notwithstanding his eight-shot defeat to Mondilla here last year. “I have the edge here since I’m very familiar with the course,” said Ababa, out to snap a long title spell on the Philippine Golf Tour on a course where he honed his talent and skills during his

amateur days. “There are reachable but tricky holes and some may think twice to attack them. But I will always go for it,” said Ababa. “More importantly, I feel good and I know I can beat anybody here, even Mondilla or (Tony) Lascuña.” He’ll be tested right on the opening round as he drew Mondilla and veteran Mars Pucay in the 7:30 a.m. flight on No. 10

with Mondilla also brimming with confidence coming off back-to-back victories at Southwoods and Villamor last month. The Del Monte ace has also looked forward to playing at Calatagan again where he posted a 17-under 271 to rout the field last year. “I’m so excited to be playing again here. Calatagan is one of my favorite courses,” said Mondilla, who beat Lascuña and Miguel Tabuena by one at the ICTSI Southwoods Championship and edged Ababa, Lascuña and American Nicolas Paez, also by one, in the Philippine Masters revival. That should make Round 1 of the P2.5 million event sponsored by ICTSI worth watching with Lascuña also hoping for a good start

against fellow Davaoeños Cassius Casas and Rufino Bayron in the 7:50 a.m. group, also on No. 10. “I have prepared hard for this event which also serves as my tune-up for a big tournament in Thailand next week. I just hope my putting will click in all four days to have another chance (for the title),” said Lascuña, seeking a follow-up to his Manila Masters romp at Eastridge last April. Mhark Fernando and Jerson Balasabas, the two other club bets, are also expected to be in the early hunt for the top P450,000 purse in the 72-hole championship organized by Pilipinas Golf Tournaments, Inc. with the former starting out ahead of Ababa and Mondilla’s

group at 7:20 a.m. with Jun Bernis and Elmer Salvador and the latter grouped with Paez and Dutch Guido Van der Valk in the 8:20 a.m. flight, also at the back. Also tipped to contend in the event, backed by BDO, KZG, Custom Clubmakers, Meralco, Sharp, Champion, Summit Mineral Water and PLDT, are veterans Jay Bayron, Rey Pagunsan, Gerald Rosales and Orlan Sumcad along with young guns Jobim Carlos, Justin Quiban and Keanu Jahns and Aussies Nathan Park and Jason Dawes, Koreans Park Jun Sung and Hong Soon Hyup, Americans Elliot Hume, Lexus Keoninh and Paul Harris, Macedonian Peter Stojanovski and Scott Secord of Canada.

San Lorenzo turns back Diliman five in MBL tilt COLEGIO de San Lorenzo-V Hotel proved steadier in the endgame to subdue Diliman College-JPA Freight Logistics, 62-55, and move to within a win of completing a seven-game sweep in the 2017 MBL Open basketball championship at the PNP Sports Center in Camp Crame Soulemane Chabi Yo and Dominic Formento stood at the helm of the victory for the Boni Garciamentored Griffins, who assured themselves of at least a tie for one of two outright semis berths with their sixth straight win in the event backed by Smart Sports, Star Bread, Dickies Underwear, Gerry’s Grill and Ironcon Builders Chabi Yo, the 6’6” standout from the French-speaking West African nation Benin, exploded with 10 of his game-high 21 points in the payoff period to lead the Griffins of CdSL president Monneth Balgan and sports parron Jimi Lim to victory. Formento added 14 points, including two back-breaking triples midway in the fourth period to frustrate the Dragons of coach Rensy Bajar. Diliman import Alex Diakhite matched Chabi Yo’s strong showing with 19 points despite early foul trouble. Diakhite had his finest moment in the second period when he scored nine points for the MBR Sportssupported Dragons of former Sen. Nikki Coseteng and businessmansportsman Jerry Alday. In the first game, Philippine National Police rallied from a huge 19-point deficit to stun Wang’s Ballclub, 75-72, and barge into win column after five losses.

Jhonnel Ababa hopes to end a long slump at ‘home’

FILIPINO basketball fans are enjoying a massive treat from ABS-CBN, which has been bringing the NBA Finals’ series live on free TV and on SKYcable since Game 1 between the Golden State Warriors and defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers last June 2. The Warriors cruised to a Game 1 victory with a 113-91 thrashing of the Cavs, behind Kevin Durant’s 38 points and 2016 MVP Stephen Curry’s six three-pointers while Lebron James’ double-double of 28 points and 15 rebounds could not make up for his team’s 20 turnovers. The second game was quite the same story as the Warriors were able to crush the Cava-

Philip Juico, President of the PATAFA (right), reveals the readiness of Filipino tracksters for the coming SEA Games. Juico is joined by his secretary general Renato Unso at the PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City. Lino Santos

liers after the halftime break, 132-113, with Durant turning in 33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and five blocks while Curry had a triple double. James also tallied his 8th palyoff triple double in a losing effort. Filipino NBA fans caught the action with Filipino commentary on ABS-CBN ch.2 on free TV and on ABS-CBN HD on SKYcable ch. 167, courtesy of ABS-CBN Sports’ Boom Gonzalez and TJ Manotoc, who are covering the Finals in the US. Meanwhile, NBA fans who prefer to watch the game with the original english commentary tuned to the game on S+A ch. 23 on free TV and on S+A SKYcable ch. 17 and S+A HD SKYcable ch. 166.

Viewers will continue to experience the best of both worlds as ABS-CBN’s NBA Finals coverage go on with Game 3 scheduled on Thursday (June 8) at 9 a.m. on ABSCBN, ABS-CBN HD, S+A, and S+A HD. Those outside Metro Manila can also enjoy the games live and in the language of their choice. For Sky subscribers in Cebu, Davao, Bacolod, Iloilo, Baguio, General Santos, and Dumaguete, NBA Finals will be LIVE in Filipino on ABS-CBN ch. 2 and ABS-CBN HD ch. 700, and in English on S+A ch. 8 and S+A HD ch. 701. Sky Direct subscribers can catch the games on ABS-CBN HD ch. 2, S+A ch. 8, and S+A HD ch. 24.

THE Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association remains in high spirits as far as its campaign in the Southeast Asian Games is concerned despite being embroiled in another issue with its so-called prodigal daughter. Patafa president Philip Ella Juico said no amount of distraction could keep the Filipino tracksters out of focus in their training for the August 19-31 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Juico is confident of the country’s chances that he believes surpassing the five gold medals it won in track and field during the Singapore edition of the meet two years ago is achievable. At the moment, the Patafa chief already has sure golds in reigning SEA Games sprint king Eric Cray, pole vaulter Ernest Obiena, triple jump’s Mark Harry Diones and long jumper Janry Ubas, who recently leapt 7.88 meters during the Patafa time trial last

week to surpass the 7.75-meter jump of Supanara of Thailand in winning the gold in Singapore. “They are much better than the three golds I mentioned in Congress two to three weeks ago,” said Juico, recalling his appearance at the Lower House regarding an inquiry about the country’s SEA Games campaign two months from now. Juico’s display of positive mindset in the weekly Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel on Tuesday comes in the heels of Patafa’s decision to drop Olympian marathoner Mary Joy Tabal from the national team roster for what officials describe as her utter lack of respect and discipline on federation rules and regulations. Tabal represented the country in marathon during last year’s Rio Olympics and was a silver medalist in

Singapore in 2015. Although not guaranteed of winning a gold in the Kuala Lumpur Games, the 27-year-old pride of Cebu remains as the country’s best woman marathoner. But a new series of misunderstanding with Patafa officials and coaches led to her falling out of the graces of the federation. “I just want to stress two points here. One, we represent the Patafa community, the athletes and coaches, and what we’re doing is to preserve and protect the community and the value that it stands for,” said Juico in the same forum presented by San Miguel Corp., Golden Phoenix Hotel, Accel, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp., where he was joined by secretary-general Renato Unso, national coach Jojo Posadas, and marketing manager Edward Kho.

Holm versus Correia in Singapore There are nine other bouts on

winning streak on Nov. 14, 2015,

Correia is an aggressive grap-

Aguon of Guam, whom Dy has

former champion Takanori Gomi, and emerging star Ulka Sasaki. *** Holm and Correia will face off in a five-round bantamweight showdown that should prove to be exciting. Holm comes from a boxing background where she won many title defenses and accolades including Fighter of the Year from various organizations. She retired from the sport in 2013 to concentrate on her MMA career. As an MMA fighter, Holm is best known for derailing Ronda Rousey’s seemingly unstoppable

boxing and MMA. Bethe Correia’s fighting style uses moves from Brazilian jiujitsu (where she holds the rank of blue belt), kickboxing, wrestling, kung fu (purple sash), and sanda (Chinese kickboxing, also known as sanshou). On Aug. 1, 2015, she faced Ronda Rousey and was beaten 34 seconds into the first round. Holm deploys striking and punching combinations combined with a variety of kicks that are usually her final, winning moves. It was with a high kick that she brought Rousey down.

leashing a flurry of combinations when she has pinned her opponent against the cage. Expect Holm to be the outstanding favorite in this fight. *** Rolando “The Incredible” Dy, 25, a son of former boxing champion Rolando Navarette, continues his father’s legacy in combat sports by making his debut in the UFC next week, a dream come true for the young fighter. At present he is third in the Southeast Asia Pro Men’s Featherweight rankings, behind Kyle

Dy comes off a three-win streak and is eager to face Caceres. Although summoned to replace Wang Guan on short notice, Dy is looking forward to his UFC debut and this is his chance to show off what he’s got. Let’s hope his confidence will carry him through to victory. *** Dr. Ortuoste is a Californiabased writer. Facebook: Gogirl Racing and Jenny Ortuoste, Twitter: @gogirlracing and @ jennyortuoste, and Instagram: @ jensdecember and @artuoste

THE HOARSE the card, featuring six other Asian via knockout. She is the first per- pler and striker who relies on lost to twice, and Takumi WHISPERER fighters including Dong Hyun Kim, son to win championships in both clinching and hand strikes, un- Nakayama of Japan.

US FIGHTER Holly Holm takes on Brazilian counterpart Bethe Correia in the much-anticipated UFC Fight Night in Singapore on June 17. Filipino MMA fans will be interested in this event especially with Filipino featherweight Rolando Dy (8-4-1) making his UFC debut against U.S. veteran Alex Caceres (12-10-0) in the place of Wang Guan who is injured.

Games Tomorrow

(Buddhacare gym, Q. C.) 9 a.m. – NU vs CEU 10:45 a.m. – Olivarez vs Diliman

OLIVAREZ College clinched a twice-to-beat advantage over Diliman College in their title showdown in the Universities and Colleges Basketball League Summer Invitational by downing College of St. Benilde, 82-73, on Sunday at the the Buddhacare gym in Quezon City. In topping the double-round elims, the Olivarez Sea Lions rode on a rock-solid defense in the third quarter to secure the bonus against the streaking Diliman Blue Dragons of Rensy Bajar. Aside from exploding for 26 points, the Sea Lions held the Blazers to just 10 points to surge ahead, 64-52, going into the final 10 minutes of play. Olivarez and Diliman dispute the title tomorrow also at the Buddhacare gym with odds just almost even. The Sea Lions beat the Blue Dragons in the first round, 64-55, but the latter got back in the second round, 66-55, thanks largely on African Alex Diakhite’s MVP-like numbers of 34 points and 13 rebounds. “It’s going to be a tight and interesting contest as both teams want to win the bragging rights,” said UCBL president Franklin Evidente. “The presence of UAAP and NCAA teams proved to be a big motivation for Olivarez and Diliman teams.” Meantime, National University and Centro Escolar University clash in a one-game duel for third at 9 a.m. in the event also sponsored by Ever Bilena-Blackwater, Smart, Advanced Solution, Inc. and Manila Bulletin. The Bulldogs, getting another significant numbers from John Clemente, closed out the doubleround elims with a 66-59 win over the Scorpions.

Free TV coverage of NBA finals on ABS-CBN WGAP braces

Juico: Exceeding 5 medals is possible

JENNY ORTUOSTE

Olivarez clinches edge in cage finals

for Luzvimin golf tourney

THE Champion Infinity Luzvimin golf tournament marks a milestone silver staging tomorrow (Thursday, June 8) with the 23-team field all primed up for a crack at top honors in various divisions at the Mimosa Golf and Country Club in Clark, Pampanga. The organizing WGAP (Women’s Golf Association of the Philippines) has guaranteed a successful staging of the event, this being the first time it is held in Luzon with last year’s division champions back in the title hunt in the 54-hole Molave team competition sponsored by Champion Infinity. For one, the wind-swept Mimosa has been spruced up to championship form in time for the event that features the leading golfing ladies from the country’s top clubs numbering to 131. Del Monte, which topped the Diamond division with a victory over Southwoods-Masters and Valley I at Rancho Palos Verdes last year, is confident of a title repeat on a team built around Pamela Mariano, Rhea Langamin, Martina Miñoza and Lesley Icoy. Camp Aguinaldo, which thwarted Alabang to bag the Emerald plum, is also out for a repeat behind Josie Untal, Mabel Salivio, Janeth Agripa and Edlyn Robas while Ma. Rafaella Singson, Rutchie Albers, Imee Garcia and Danica Nagayo hope to steer Apo Golf to another crown in Ruby Division. Victorias, meanwhile, looms as the team to beat in the Pearl Division with Maritess Mendell, Cynthia Capay, Rebecca Verdeflor and Lyn Lee Rizzo raring to showcase the form that netted them a 15-point romp over Tagaytay Highlands. But the Luzon-based squads will be out to stop the South teams’ drive for repeats, ensuring fierce action in all three days of the event backed by Lexus, Metro Pacific, CranUTI, Great Depot, Inc. Srixon and Vermogen and organized and conducted by the WGAP. Others seeing action are Villamor 1 and 2, Tagaytay Highlands, Forest Hills 1 and 2, Alabang 1 and 2, Southwoods 1 and 2, Valley Golf, Camp Aguinaldo 1 and 2, Negros Occidental Golf and Country Club 1 and 2, Baguio, Pueblo de Oro, Manila Golf, Bacolod Golf, Orchard and John Hay.

LOTTO RESULTS 6/55 00-00-00-00-00-00 6/45 00-00-00-00-00-00 4 DIGITS 0-0-0-0 3 DIGITS 0-0-0 2 EZ2 0-0

P0 M+ P0 M

Riera U. Mallari, Editor Reuel Vidal, Assistant Editor sports@thestandard.com.ph sports_mstandard@yahoo.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

Murray, Wawrinka advance to last 8 PARIS, France—Andy Murray racked up his 650th career win to reach the French Open quarter-finals Monday where he was joined by 2015 champion Stan Wawrinka. World number one Murray, the runner-up in Paris to Novak Djokovic in 2016, brushed aside Karen Khachanov of Russia 6-3, 6-4, 6-4. However, instead of discussing the match in the traditional on-court TV interview, Murray took the microphone to remember the 29 people who died in the recent outrages in London and Manchester. “Obviously there was terrible tragedy in London and Manchester. Paris has had its problems too in recent years,” said Murray. “I am sure everyone will join me... we share our thoughts and prayers with everyone who has been affected. “I appreciate everyone still coming out to support the tennis. I am grateful that I can still perform in front of everyone.” Murray broke the serve of the 21-year-old Russian, playing in a Slam fourth round for the first time, on five occasions. Before Monday, Khachanov had held serve for 48 successive service games. In his seventh Paris quarter-final, Murray will face Japanese eighth seed Kei Nishikori who defeated 33-year-old Fernando Verdasco of Spain 0-6, 6-4, 6-4, 6-0. Nishikori, a beaten quarter-finalist in Paris in 2015, has now made the last eight of a Slam for a seventh time, a record for a Japanese man. Nishikori stunned Murray in five sets at the US Open last year although he insisted he had little memory of it. “I don’t even know if I win or lost. I won?” he asked reporters of a win which was just his second in 10 meetings with the Briton, Wawrinka, the third seed, booked a place in the quarter-finals for the fourth time with a comfortable 7-5, 7-6 (9/7), 6-2 win over Gael Monfils, the last French player in the men’s draw. AFP

Sports Britain’s Andy Murray returns the ball to Russia’s Karen Khachanov during their tennis match at the Roland Garros 2017 French Open on June 5, 2017 in Paris. AFP

SMB torches Phoenix to advance to semifinals By Jeric Lopez

T WAS as lopsided as it could get. The San Miguel Beermen eased their way to the next round by annihilating the Phoenix Petroleum Fuel Masters, 115-96, in the quarterfinals yesterday at the Smart Araneta Coliseum to be the first team through to the semifinals of the 2017 Philippine Basketball Association Commissioner’s Cup. Marcio Lassiter and Alex Cabagnot were both on target, leading the victors to victory. Lassiter tallied a game-high 26 points while Cabagnot fired six triples on his way to 20 points along with eight rebounds. Armed with a twice-to-beat incentive as the second seed, San Miguel wasted no time in showcasing its beast mode. The Beermen jumped out of the

gates and took command emphatically the rest of the way. They established several 23-point bubbles right away, with everything clicking, midway the second period and never looked back. The Beermen will now wait for the winner of the quarterfinal series between the Star Hotshots and the Rain or Shine Elasto Painters. They clash in the semis for a bestof-five duel.

The No. 7 Fuel Masters had no answers and suffered helplessly for the entire game, thanks to the non-stop avalanche of San Miguel. Phoenix is now headed to an early vacation. As of this report, top seed Barangay Ginebra is currently trying to do the same thing in its own quarterfinal game against eighth ranked GlobalPort. The Gin Kings are looking to join the Beermen in the Final Four. Meanwhile, the two best-of-three series resume today a pair of Game 2s with Star and TNT KaTropa also eyeing seats in the semis. At 4:15 p.m., the Hotshots face Rain or Shine again while at 7 p.m., the Texters clash with the Meralco Bolts. The Hotshots and the Tropang Texters each hold 1-0 leads over Rain or Shine and Meralco, respectively. Both are looking to close out their series. On the other hand, the Elasto Painters and the Bolts are both look-

ing to equalize and survive to force a decider against their counterparts. The second-ranked Beermen had a fairly easy ride to the quarterfinals. They finished with a nine-win, twoloss record to tie Barangay Ginebra and Star Hotshots in the standings. They took second place behind Ginebra in the PBA quotient system tiebreak. The TNT KaTropa (8-3) took fourth place followed by the Bolts (7-4), the Elasto Painters (5-6), Phoenix (4-7) and GlobalPort Batang Pier (4-7). The Alaska Aces (4-7) were eliminated through a knockout game against GlobalPort. The rest of the teams eliminated outright are the Mahindra Floodbuster (3-8), the Blackwater Elite (29) and the NLEX Road Warriors (2-9). The Beermen won the season-opening PBA Philippine Cup and are openly aspiring to win all PBA titles this year to gain a coveted Grand Slam.

Ono goes to SEAG in place of Lariba

Lee displays heart of champion ANGELA “Unstoppable” Lee showed the heart of a champion when she submitted Istela Nunes via anaconda choke in the second round of their rip-roaring title fight at ONE: Dynasty of Heroes in Singapore. In front of a delirious crowd at the Singapore Indoor Stadium, the atmosphere was electrifying as confetti rained down on Lee following her victory, marking the second-straight successful defense of her coveted goldplated strap. It marked perhaps the biggest challenge for the unbeaten Lee who displayed a well-rounded striking game but was stifled by the two-time Muay Thai world champion. Turning to her strength Lee turned the fight into a grappling match and submitted Nunes

in the second round. Lee made it look almost easy but there were extra challenges than simply overcoming a tough opponent. After getting the tap from Nunes, the 20-year-old Singaporean sensation dropped to her knees in the middle of the cage and broke down in tears. It may have seemed at first that Lee was simply overjoyed at securing the win, but it turns out that the champion had to overcome sickness before even stepping into the ONE Championship cage. Ten days before the bout, Lee had been diagnosed with a bad case of pneumonia. “There were a lot of things that happened leading up to the fight, a lot of unexpected things that I didn’t have control of. I actu-

ally got pretty sick leading up to the fight. I was on antibiotics and stuff so I was fighting through that. It was just a very tough battle with myself, overcoming my own doubt,” Lee said. Despite showing symptoms of a serious ailment, Lee decided to proceed with her highlyanticipated championship clash with Nunes. “I was nervous but I also knew how hard I worked for this. I believe that everything happens for a reason and I trusted in that. If I could make it this far, what’s 30 more minutes? So I walked out to that cage with a smile on my face and got the job done,” she said. Lee had battled through so much more than just the challenger opposite her inside the cage, and she had won in spectacular fashion.

By Peter Atencio

Angela Lee acknowledges the cheers of the fans after winning over Istela Nunes in the main event of ONE: Dynasty of Heroes in Singapore. ONE Championship

Cavs try to stop Dubs’ perfect title run

Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James (23) stands beside Golden State Warriors counterpart Kevin Durant (35) during Game Two of the 2017 NBA Finals on June 4, 2017 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. AFP

CLEVELAND, United States— LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers desperately seek a way to beat the Golden State Warriors, but they are running out of time to prove their NBA Finals rivals aren’t invincible. The Warriors, on an NBA record 14-game playoff win streak, lead 2-0 in the best-of-seven championship series entering Wednesday’s third game at Cleveland. No team has ever rallied from a 3-0 deficit to win an NBA playoff series. “We have to defend our home court,” said Cavaliers forward Kevin Love. “It definitely is a must win.” Golden State could become the first NBA team to make an unbeat-

en playoff run to the crown, having swept Portland, Utah and San Antonio and overpowered the Cavaliers twice at home to open the finals. “We’re going to go home and watch the film to see ways we can be better,” James said. “Do things, I don’t want to say differently because you work so hard to get to this point, but make a couple of changes to see if we can be a lot better defensively and offensively.” Warriors forward Kevin Durant, who left Oklahoma City for Golden State last July in hopes of winning his first NBA crown, had LeBronlike numbers—33 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, five blocked

shots and three steals—in a 132-113 romp Sunday in game two. Asked the difference between this year and last year, James simply said, “K.D.” and added, “They are a different team.” The Cavaliers forced 20 turnovers compared to a finals record-tying four in game one, for all the good it did them. “We forced them to 20 turnovers and they still beat us pretty good, so we got to be much better too,” James said. “I’m not a past guy too much. I’m more of a present guy so we just got to figure out how we can be better in game three.” AFP

SOMEONE else will hold the torch for Filipino Olympian Ian Lariba in the coming 29th Southeast Asian Games. Twelve-year-old Filipino Japanese Rizumi Ono will carry on in place of the stricken Lariba. Ono made waves last weekend in the recent world championships in Germany when she put up a credible challenge before losing in a six-game thriller to six-time Olympian Olufunke Oshonaike of Nigeria. Ono, born to a Japanese father and a Filipino mother, bowed to the 41-year-old Oshonaike, 15-13, 11-8, 12-10, 8-11, 6-11, 12-10, in the women’s single qualifications stage. But she caught the attention of many with her performance. Philippine Table Tennis Federation president Ting Ledesma said Ono has already been included in the national women’s roster in place of Lariba. “Kasama na siya sa lineup. Target namin sa SEA Games ay makakuha ng dalawang gold. But, without Yanyan (Lariba), mahirap maabot,” said Ledesma during yesterday’s weekly PSA Forum at the Golden Phoenix Hotel in Pasay City. Lariba has been recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.

PNOC to develop properties B3

Business

Ray S. Eñano, Editor Roderick T. dela Cruz, Assistant Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

Closing June 6, 2017

8500 8000 7500 7000 6500 6000

7,953.12 48.26

PESO-DOLLAR RATE Closing June 6, 2017

45.00 46.50 48.00

P49.560 CLOSE

51.00

HIGH P49.395 LOW P49.565 AVERAGE P49.468 VOLUME 505.400M

P435.00-P680.00 LPG/11-kg tank P39.40-P49.21 Unleaded Gasoline P26.70-P31.91 Diesel

OPRICES IL TODAY

P32.85-P41.15 Kerosene P20.75-P21.75

Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Tuesday, June 6, 2017

F OREIGN E XCHANGE R ATE Currency

Unit

US Dollar

Peso

United States

Dollar

1.000000

49.4040

Japan

Yen

0.009054

0.4473

Pound

1.290500

63.7559

Hong Kong

Dollar

0.128335

6.3403

Switzerland

Franc

1.036377

51.2012

Canada

Dollar

0.742335

36.6743

Singapore

Dollar

0.723903

35.7637

Australia

Dollar

0.748300

36.9690

Bahrain

Dinar

2.653787

131.1077

Saudi Arabia

Rial

0.266667

13.1744

Brunei

Dollar

0.721293

35.6348

Indonesia

Rupiah

0.000075

0.0037

Thailand

Baht

0.029412

1.4531

UAE

Dirham

0.272287

13.4521

Euro

1.125700

55.6141

Korea

Won

0.000895

0.0442

China

Yuan

0.146959

7.2604

India

Rupee

0.015541

0.7678

Malaysia

Ringgit

0.234632

11.5918

New Zealand

Dollar

0.713600

35.2547

Taiwan

Dollar

0.033254

1.6429 Source: PDS Bridge

IN BRIEF Dyson expanding Laguna operations CALAMBA, Laguna―British consumer product manufacturer Dyson Electronics Pte. Ltd. is increasing its capital investments in the Philippines to $70 million to expand its operations in Laguna province. Dyson Electronics chief operating ofﬁcer Jim Rowan said the company was adding a new line to produce Dyson-patented motors for a new model of the cordless vacuum cleaner. It will also produce another product that will involve additional investment of $20 million in the ﬁrst quarter. “We are disrupting the market to create technology. We have raised as much as 2.5 billion pounds that we will use to develop new products in the next few years. These products are not seen in the world yet. That means we’re putting in a good deal of money to come with up the best technology,” he said. Dyson started operating in the Philippines in April 2016 producing motors for the supersonic hairdryer and cordless vacuum cleaner, two of the most popular consumer items Dysilon manufactures. It celebrated its 1 millionth motor unit shipped to production bases in Singapore and Malaysia in April. Othel V. Campos

Ex LTO chief wants registration reforms A FORMER chief of Land Transportation Ofﬁce asked the Transportation Department to remove stenciling of chassis and engine numbers in the list of procedures when registering motor vehicles. Alberto Suansing, a former LTO chief and now a consultant at Toll Regulatory Board, told reporters that stenciling could be replaced by vehicle information number, which is stamped on metal plate located on left side of dash panel and visible from outside of the windshield. He said other countries were using VIN to establish the identiﬁcation of motor vehicle. “It [stencil] will cost you a lot of money. It has to be eliminated in the system to reduce inconvenience and corruption,” Suansing said. Car owners are currently required to undergo stenciling of motor engine as a requirement for motor vehicle registration. Suansing said the Philippines was the only country that still requires car stenciling. Darwin G. Amojelar

Inflation softened to 3.1% in April

PSE COMPOSITE INDEX

49.50

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

BIKE MAKER. Ayala Corp. vice chairman, president and chief operating ofﬁcer Fernando Zobel de Ayala rides on a KTM 390 Duke motorcycle during the KTM AG plant opening at Nuvali Evoliving in Sta. Rosa, Laguna. Ayala Corp. is debuting into motorcycle manufacturing through a partnership with Austria-based KTM, which chose the Philippines as its hub in Southeast Asia. Ey Acasio

BSP monitors Qatar’s impact on remittances By Julito G. Rada and Othel V. Campos

HE Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas said Tuesday it is closely watching the situation in Qatar and the rest of the Middle East and its possible impact on remittance ﬂows to the Philippines. “The situation is just unfolding so we don’t know yet the extent and coverage. I think at this time, it is best to monitor the situation,” incoming BSP Governor Nestor Espenilla Jr. said at the sidelines of an event at Bangko Sentral. The Labor Department on Tuesday suspended the deployment of Filipino workers to Qatar a day after a number of nations, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, severed ties with

Qatar and accused it of lending support to extremism. Qatar is the third largest source of remittances in the Middle East, after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Remittances from Qatar reached $1.059 billion in 2016 and $306 million in the ﬁrst quarter this year, up 35 percent from a year ago. Over 200,000 Filipinos areworking in Qatar, unofﬁcial data show.

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry said it was not worried about the impact of the Arab Gulf’s issue on Philippine trade. PCCI president George Barcelon said any such impact should be minimal. “On trade, our export is not substantial to have much effect,” Barcelon said. “It’s a regional geo-political issue where Qatar has been ostracized. Qatar is part of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries, but treated this manner, it could destabilize the oil solidarity and affect oil price downward,” Barcelon said. The Trade Department was supposed to facilitate $1 billion worth of sovereign fund from Qatar for developmental projects such as agriculture and infrastructure projects.

Espenilla said it was too early to tell the impact of the Middle East row on remittances. “We don’t know yet what is the extent and there could be alternative channels. There were previous incidents, let us say in the Middle East including the all-out war and this did not signiﬁcantly impede the ﬂow of remittances. So it is very premature to draw any conclusion to a news that is just unfolding,” Espenilla said. He said the deployment of overseas Filipinos was pretty diverse all over the world and not just concentrated on one region. “Any disturbance is a source of concern by the BSP especially since there are overseas Filipinos working there. That is why it is important to monitor the situation at this time,” he said.

INFLATION rate in May softened to a four-month low of 3.1 percent from 3.4 percent in April, on slower increases in prices of food, beverage and tobacco items, the Philippine Statistics Authority said Tuesday. The May inflation, however, was faster than 1.6 percent registered a year ago, data showed. Inflation in the first five months averaged 3.2 percent, slightly higher than the midpoint of the target range of 2 percent to 4 percent this year. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Governor Amando Tetangco Jr. said the actual May inflation rate was within its forecast range of 2.9 percent to 3.4 percent for the month. “The inflation print further supports our view of manageable inflation that is expected to fall within the target range for this year and next. The BSP will continue to monitor developments here and overseas that can potentially influence future inflation and consider these in our next policy meeting,” Tetangco said in a statement. The PSA said slower annual increments in May were posted in different commodity groups such as food and nonalcoholic beverages (3.8 percent); alcoholic beverages and tobacco (6.1 percent); clothing and footwear (2.2 percent); furnishing, household equipment and routine maintenance of the house (2.3 percent); health (2.4 percent); transport (2.7 percent); communication (0.2 percent); and recreation and culture (1.4 percent). ING Bank chief economist in Asia Tim Condon said in a comment that a high base effect had kicked in in the food component for the month. “We expect it to be a source of disinflation for the rest of the year. We also think the oil pricedriven increases in the utilities and transport components have peaked,” Condon said. National Economic and Development Authority directorgeneral and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia said the slower May inflation rate boded well for the economy in the near term. Julito G. Rada

San Miguel readies unsolicited bids for 10 infra projects By Jenniffer B. Austria CONGLOMERATE San Miguel Corp. plans to submit at least 10 unsolicited proposals to the Duterte administration to improve infrastructure across the country. “We have 10 unsolicited proposals. We are thinking of many projects that will help the country,” San Miguel president and chief operating ofﬁcer Ramon Ang said. Ang last month said San

Miguel planned to submit an unsolicited proposal for a $2-billion ﬂood control project with a power generation component. The unsolicited project would help address ﬂooding in Metro Manila during the rainy season. The project involves the construction of a spillway that will facilitate the release of water from Laguna de Bay to Manila de Bay. Ang said the project would be built at no cost to the government. Ang said in exchange, he

would ask the government to give San Miguel the right to use waste materials from Laguna de Bay for its planned power generation facility. San Miguel, through unit South Luzon Tollway Corp., submitted an unsolicited proposal with the Transport Department in February for the construction of the 29-kilometer Tanauan-Tagaytay Expressway. It also submitted submitted an unsolicited proposal for a new international airport in Bulacan,

a revision from an earlier 2014 proposal to build a $10-billion airport in Sangley Point, Cavite. The conglomerate wanted to build an airport with at least four runways and covering 2,000 hectares in Bulacan towns near Manila Bay. The proposed new international gateway will have an initial capacity of 100 million passengers per year. The Duterte administration earlier expressed openness to unsolicited proposals, but recently

expressed preference for ‘hybrid’ projects that would be supported by official development assistance loans. Ang expressed concern over the government’s move to skip public-private partnership projects in favor of ODA loans to finance infrastructure, saying this could result in higher state debt. Ang said the strategy could increase government borrowings and subsequently affect the good fiscal standing of the Philippines.

UCPB denies neglecting trust fund of Provident UNITED Coconut Planters Bank on Tuesday denied being negligent in protecting the trust fund of pre-need company Provident Plans International Corp., which the Insurance Commission plans to put under conservatorship to protect the interest of plan holders. UCPB said in a statement it was coordinating with the Finance Department to clarify the matter. It said as Provident Plan’s trustee bank from 1989 until 2014, it “had never been negligent in protecting their trust fund.” “As its trustee bank, UCPB had fulﬁlled all its obligations in the trust agreement approved by Provident Plans and complied with all the pertinent regulations of the Insurance Commission,”

it said. Earlier reports said the primary reason behind Provident Plan’s current status was the “disallowance of the unrecoverable/unqualiﬁed trust fund investment made by Export and Industry Bank [EIB], as a trustee bank of Provident Plans, in its own bank in the form of time deposits in 2005.” UCPB said in 2009, Provident Plans decided to terminate its trust agreement with EIB and transferred the EIB time deposits to UCPB. “At the time it was transferred to UCPB, the EIB time deposits were considered as an allowable investment under the SEC guidelines and IC regulations. EIB was eventually shuttered by the BSP in 2012,” it said. Julito G. Rada

STEELASIA’S AWARD. Steel Asia Manufacturing Corp. receives an award under the Infrastructure

Development category from the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific. The Philippine Export-Import Credit Agency nominated SteelAsia for the award for contributing to the improvement of the strategic and long-term infrastructure facilities in the country. Shown accepting the award are SteelAsia head of legal Reginald Nolido (third from left) and special officer to the president Melvir Buela (third from right). With them are (from left) PhilExim first senior vice president Emmanuel Torres, senior executive vice president and officer-in-charge Florencio Gabriel Jr., ADFIAP secretary general Octavio Peralta, PhilExim first senior vice president and head of strategy and development sector Ian Briones and vice president Rovi Peralta.

Business

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

Market falls; IMI, Megaworld climb

TOCKS retreated from a three-day advance, as investors turned cautious while awaiting key political events in the US and the Middle East later in the week.

The Philippine Stock Exchange index, the 30-company benchmark, slid 48 points, or 0.6 percent, to close at 7,973.12, as ﬁve of the six major sectors declined. The heavier index, representing all shares, also fell 19 points, or 0.4 percent, to settle at 4,740.31, on a value turnover of P8.2 billion. Losers outnumbered gainers, 116 to 82, while 47 issues were unchanged. Eight of the 20 most active stocks ended in the green, led by Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc., a manufacturing unit led by Ayala Corp., which surged 9.5 percent to P12.46. Newly

listed developer Cebu Landmasters Inc. climbed 4.4 percent to P5.45, while DMCI Holdings Inc. rose 1.3 percent to P14.10. Property developer Megaworld Corp. went up 1.1 percent to P4.63. After enjoying a healthy rally in recent weeks, traders on most markets took their cash off the table ahead of Thursday’s events. The crisis over Donald Trump’s possible ties to Russia could come to the fore when James Comey appears on Capitol Hill, a month after the president ﬁred him midway through a

probe into the allegations. The Russia question, and the country’s possible interference in November’s US elections, has hung over the tycoon’s head since taking office—leading to calls for his impeachment. There are concerns on trading floors that Trump’s economyboosting agenda—big infrastructure spending, tax cuts and deregulation—could be derailed. Hopes for the stimulus helped drive a months-long global markets rally after his election. Comey’s evidence will come as Britain votes in a snap election, with Prime Minister Theresa May’s seemingly insurmountable lead slashed—fuelling fears of fresh uncertainty and of major difficulties in negotiations to leave the EU. “There is a strong sense of wanting to wait and see among inves-

tors ahead of former FBI director Comey’s testimony and the UK elections,” said Yutaka Miura, a senior technical analyst at Mizuho Securities. Tokyo ended one percent down on a stronger yen and proﬁt-taking after hitting near two-year highs Friday. Sydney shed 1.5 percent and Singapore slipped 0.1 percent. Taiwan and Jakarta were also all down. But Hong Kong edged up 0.4 percent in the afternoon and Shanghai closed 0.3 percent higher. Oil prices recovered after Monday’s losses as dealers looked past a decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt to severe ties with Qatar, citing its support for terrorism. With Bloomberg, AFP

PSE threatens to cut inactive participants By Jenniffer B. Austria THE Philippine Stock Exchange said Tuesday it will revoke the status of inactive trading participants unless they resume brokerage operations. PSE said in a memorandum circular posted on its website that inactive TPs would be given three months from the effectivity of the policy to submit a sworn undertaking to commence broker operations. It said otherwise, the exchange would initiative proceedings for revocation of their

MANILA STANDARD BUSINESS DAILY STOCKS REVIEW TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 2017

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

FINANCIALS 4.26 126,000 49.95 30,700 105.3 2,521,230 4 94,000 124.3 1,199,210 1.45 243,000 37.45 206,500 16.2 60,800 27.6 1,377,900 7.76 5,000 1.64 12,000 795 40 0.69 26,323,000 87.75 1,347,230 0.9 3,649,000 15.5 19,000 26.4 12,800 70.65 85,670 239 1,930 109 220 90.5 3,620 63 309,370 224.2 265,510 1,649 10 84.6 91,770 1.2 2,000

551,170 1,526,010 266,301,330 367,540 149,078,431 359,940 7,723,035 984,954 38,042,305 38,808 20,080 31,800 18,286,230 118,616,423.50 3,175,140 294,500 327,390 6,040,291.50 460,236 24,030 327,246 19,783,412.50 59,611,090 16,490 7,756,659.50 2,400

940,460 -131,185,381 -40,760 4,480,695 594,475 -814,854 8,052,725 210,000 -25,150,483 -95,560 1,741,023 -24,030 -370,861.50 24,537,908 1,673,118.50 -

38.6 7.71 0.81 1.63 30.4 0.26 7.2 17.6 165.3 23.35 14.24 73.5 78.4 2.04 5.25 11.6 12.06 15.96 9.58 6.8 5.96 1.77 18.88 70.4 13.48 14.78 11.46 1.6 214.4 64 4.01 3.41 32.85 19.56 18.9 271.4 6.1 3.28 10.52 4.8 10.24 1.95 9.02 69.4 6.5 297 4.3 1.85 4.62 2.07 13.42 5.3 0.146 1.37 159 2 30 1.09

INDUSTRIAL 38.7 2,052,200 7.99 2,414,200 0.82 1,848,000 1.64 9,521,000 31.5 342,200 0.265 10,170,000 7.2 4,842,500 17.84 248,600 165.3 20 24 1,466,100 14.3 1,900 73.5 12,420 78.4 2,230 2.04 2,347,000 5.25 223,400 11.6 23,900 12.16 16,145,100 15.96 7,813,900 9.8 1,044,700 6.89 419,800 5.99 11,533,000 1.77 1,000 18.88 1,839,200 71.95 111,090 13.8 56,000 14.78 742,600 12.46 13,640,400 1.62 4,500,000 214.8 369,200 64 820 4.01 360,000 3.63 27,000 32.95 509,300 21.2 4,401,300 19.52 6,918,300 271.6 315,980 6.11 12,500 3.29 184,000 10.52 2,767,500 5.12 125,100 10.24 16,000 1.96 982,000 9.19 1,833,800 69.55 1,199,600 6.5 568,300 297 150 4.35 14,000 1.85 2,000 4.62 774,000 2.09 2,869,000 13.46 2,787,500 5.38 314,400 0.146 170,000 1.39 50,000 159 2,154,710 2.01 16,016,000 30 100 1.15 330,000

79,707,480 18,989,102 1,509,280 15,846,080 10,957,730 2,664,450 35,262,400 4,400,772 3,306 34,987,980 27,158 913,267.50 176,126 4,896,620 1,173,015 277,240 196,415,400 124,925,072 10,199,066 2,876,668 69,206,982 1,770 34,886,574 7,943,571 771,224 10,987,966 167,806,278 7,335,520 79,343,502 52,486.50 1,450,090 94,790 16,782,480 90,357,074 133,332,816 85,920,176 76,358 617,600 29,295,630 640,090 164,364 1,926,720 16,961,252 83,416,616.50 3,801,673 44,740 62,170 3,740 3,620,240 6,143,790 37,738,576 1,694,707 24,820 68,980 343,958,407 32,815,820 3,000 370,440

-25,180,600 268,604 252,450 45 18,300 -9,022,649 3,287,878 -16,688,310 -861,072.50 5,800 -115,843,610 5,593,420 -3,030,164.00 233,025 37,629,428 -9,639,470 3,817,535.50 -5,392 -10,306,072 41,315,656 275,420 26,991,174 7,000 6,737,820 12,349,018.00 -15,524,944 -28,137,488 104,270 -3,225,906 3,000 -6,133,193 10,593,474.50 -3,430 -8,970 2,904,190 -234,090 -28,900,138 8,577,891 1,531,960 -

0.39 76.25 14.84 1.21 6.25 0.35 0.36 896 8.28 14.3 7.61 0.207 1,235 82.45 5.09 1.04 7.58 16.06 6.42 3.67 0.059 2.03 105 2.75 795 0.89 1.42 175.1 306.6 0.285 0.234 0.245

0.375 75.1 14.2 1.16 6.25 0.335 0.34 882 8.17 14 7.6 0.201 1,206 81 5 1 7.42 15.88 6.21 3.2 0.055 2 103.9 2.67 780 0.89 1.39 175.1 305 0.285 0.216 0.244

HOLDING FIRMS 0.375 4,510,000 75.95 1,443,710 14.2 10,422,500 1.19 153,000 6.25 205,900 0.34 6,300,000 0.345 150,000 882 557,900 8.2 3,472,500 14.1 13,772,500 7.6 141,400 0.201 1,640,000 1,220 145,830 82.1 713,850 5.09 4,400 1.01 6,342,000 7.58 1,376,200 15.98 3,060,500 6.21 28,582,600 3.25 20,000 0.055 204,030,000 2.03 288,000 104.4 138,460 2.74 115,000 780.5 374,280 0.89 75,000 1.42 338,000 175.1 10 306.6 9,190 0.285 120,000 0.233 850,000 0.245 240,000

1,697,800 109,491,565 153,143,116 181,590 1,286,875 2,134,200 51,900 494,139,550 28,542,250 194,727,698 1,075,132 334,070 178,659,980 58,308,133.50 22,019 6,427,620 10,375,678 48,929,188 179,276,299 65,900 11,401,960 581,690 14,448,078 308,640 292,568,015 66,750 473,710 1,751 2,809,286 34,200 186,410 58,580

30,000 -7,576,617.50 66,284,974 33,968,235 -2,046,294 114,271,400 -64,170 31,546,455 -21,860,493 -5,451,816 9,004,468 -41,948,800 139,920 -20,000 452,180 -47,919,090 -266,730 53,680

6.26 1.47 2.6 1.24 41.3 4.17 5.45 5.3 0.53 1.13 1.5 0.165 0.52 51 0.71 0.168 1.66 1.16 1.02

6.24 1.23 2.4 1.2 40.1 4.14 5.2 5.3 0.51 1.08 1.44 0.162 0.51 49.85 0.69 0.159 1.63 1.12 0.95

1,983,191 105,533,950 7,352,350 6,242,510 591,127,855 2,714,780 183,923,179 743,060 6,576,630 148,990 2,032,380 526,990 3,112,970 13,182,043 1,620,570 99,120 2,669,800 14,308,500 5,044,800

-1,825,742 -2,800,010.00 159,680 -41,078,760 282,150 36,375,950.00 -1,274,050 -2,045,200 -1,259,238.50 -7,000 -1,835,050 -1,353,720.00 229,700

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

AG FINANCE ASIA UNITED BANK PH ISLANDS BDO LEASING BDO UNIBANK BRIGHT KINDLE CHINABANK COL FINANCIAL EAST WEST BANK FILIPINO FUND IREMIT MANULIFE MEDCO HLDG METROBANK NTL REINSURANCE PB BANK PBCOM PHIL NATL BANK PHIL STOCK EXCH PHILTRUST PSBANK RCBC SECURITY BANK SUN LIFE UNION BANK VANTAGE

4.48 49.95 106.5 3.91 124.5 1.55 37.45 16.2 27.5 7.78 1.69 795 0.73 89.5 0.84 15.5 25.5 70.5 239.8 109.5 90 65.4 226 1,649 84 1.2

4.55 50 106.6 4 124.6 1.55 37.5 16.2 27.8 7.78 1.69 795 0.73 89.5 0.9 15.5 26.4 70.65 239.8 109.5 90.5 65.4 228 1,649 84.6 1.2

4.26 49.4 105.2 3.85 123.7 1.45 37.35 16.18 27.25 7.76 1.64 795 0.68 87.75 0.84 15.5 25.5 70.3 237.8 109 89.8 63 223.8 1,649 84 1.2

ABOITIZ POWER AGRINURTURE ALLIANCE SELECT ALSONS CONS ASIABEST GROUP BASIC ENERGY CEMEX HLDG CENTURY FOOD CHEMPHIL CIRTEK HLDG CNTRL AZUCARERA CONCEPCION CONCRETE A CROWN ASIA DAVINCI CAPITAL DEL MONTE DNL INDUS EAGLE CEMENT EEI CORP EMPERADOR ENERGY DEVT EUROMED FIRST GEN FIRST PHIL HLDG GINEBRA HOLCIM INTEGRATED MICR IONICS JOLLIBEE LIBERTY FLOUR LMG CHEMICALS MABUHAY VINYL MANILA WATER MAXS GROUP MEGAWIDE MERALCO PANASONIC PEPSI COLA PETRON PHIL H2O PHINMA PHINMA ENERGY PHX PETROLEUM PILIPINAS SHELL PRYCE CORP PUREFOODS RFM CORP ROXAS AND CO ROXAS HLDG SFA SEMICON SHAKEYS PIZZA SPC POWER SWIFT FOODS TKC METALS UNIV ROBINA VITARICH VIVANT VULCAN INDL

39 8 0.82 1.64 30.95 0.265 7.45 17.64 165.3 23.55 14.24 73.5 79.5 2.07 5.25 11.6 12.44 16 9.7 6.83 5.98 1.77 19.1 71.6 13.48 14.8 11.48 1.7 216 64.05 4.07 3.6 33.05 19.6 19.1 273 6.11 3.28 10.86 5 10.5 1.98 9.48 69.55 6.8 299 4.58 1.89 4.69 2.12 13.5 5.42 0.146 1.37 160.6 2.12 30 1.15

39.15 8.02 0.83 1.7 32.95 0.27 7.45 17.88 165.3 24.35 14.3 74.75 79.5 2.13 5.36 11.6 12.44 16.04 9.97 6.93 6.07 1.77 19.3 71.95 13.98 14.8 13.4 1.7 216.6 64.05 4.17 3.64 33.1 21.25 19.6 273.8 6.35 3.36 10.86 5.25 10.5 1.99 9.48 69.6 7 299 4.58 1.89 4.74 2.25 13.68 5.48 0.146 1.39 160.6 2.15 30 1.15

ABACORE CAPITAL ABOITIZ EQUITY ALLIANCE GLOBAL ANGLO PHIL HLDG ANSCOR ATN HLDG A ATN HLDG B AYALA CORP COSCO CAPITAL DMCI HLDG FILINVEST DEV FORUM PACIFIC GT CAPITAL JG SUMMIT JOLLIVILLE HLDG LODESTAR LOPEZ HLDG LT GROUP METRO PAC INV MJC INVESTMENTS PACIFICA PRIME ORION SAN MIGUEL CORP SEAFRONT RES SM INVESTMENTS SOC RESOURCES SOLID GROUP SYNERGY GRID TOP FRONTIER UNIOIL HLDG WELLEX INDUS ZEUS HLDG

0.38 76 14.8 1.21 6.25 0.34 0.34 895 8.18 14 7.6 0.207 1,228 81.65 5.05 1.03 7.49 16.04 6.42 3.23 0.059 2 104.8 2.68 795 0.89 1.42 175.1 306.2 0.285 0.22 0.244

8990 HLDG A BROWN ARANETA PROP ARTHALAND CORP AYALA LAND BELLE CORP CEB LANDMASTERS CEBU HLDG CENTURY PROP CITY AND LAND CITYLAND DEVT CROWN EQUITIES CYBER BAY DOUBLEDRAGON EMPIRE EAST EVER GOTESCO FILINVEST LAND GLOBAL ESTATE IRC PROP

6.24 1.25 2.4 1.21 41 4.15 5.22 5.3 0.53 1.1 1.45 0.162 0.52 50.5 0.69 0.168 1.63 1.15 0.97

VOLUME

NAME

OPEN

HIGH

LOW

VOLUME

VALUE

NET FOREIGN BUYING/(SELLING), PHP

KEPPEL PROP MEGAWORLD MRC ALLIED PHIL ESTATES PHIL REALTY PRIMEX CORP PTFC REDEV CORP ROBINSONS LAND ROCKWELL SHANG PROP SM PRIME HLDG STA LUCIA LAND SUNTRUST HOME VISTA LAND

4.12 4.59 0.34 0.375 0.69 3.98 27.8 25.6 1.75 3.29 34.7 1.01 0.88 5.59

4.12 4.7 0.405 0.385 0.69 4 27.8 25.7 1.75 3.29 34.85 1.06 0.91 5.71

4.12 4.58 0.335 0.36 0.63 3.94 27.8 25.5 1.69 3.29 34 1 0.88 5.55

4.12 4.63 0.4 0.36 0.65 3.97 27.8 25.6 1.69 3.29 34.25 1.06 0.91 5.7

5,000 29,833,000 333,620,000 4,450,000 142,488,000 259,000 900 2,918,700 1,932,000 20,000 6,356,900 23,687,000 115,000 5,660,300

20,600 138,332,510 125,195,400 1,639,050 93,111,950 1,030,800 25,020 74,547,175 3,280,320 65,800 217,762,400 24,742,020 102,230 31,923,974

72,670,850 75,200 3,391,770 -35,143,930 255,000 26,644,730 49,850 -7,328,832.00

2GO GROUP ABS CBN ACESITE HOTEL APC GROUP APOLLO GLOBAL ASIAN TERMINALS BERJAYA BLOOMBERRY BOULEVARD HLDG CALATA CORP CEBU AIR DFNN INC EASYCALL FAR EASTERN U GLOBE TELECOM GMA NETWORK GOLDEN HAVEN HARBOR STAR IMPERIAL INTL CONTAINER IPEOPLE IPM HLDG ISLAND INFO ISM COMM JACKSTONES LEISURE AND RES MACROASIA MANILA JOCKEY MELCO RESORTS METRO RETAIL NOW CORP PACIFIC ONLINE PAL HLDG PHIL SEVEN CORP PHILWEB PLDT PREMIUM LEISURE PRMIERE HORIZON PUREGOLD ROBINSONS RTL SBS PHIL CORP SSI GROUP STI HLDG TRANSPACIFIC BR TRAVELLERS WATERFRONT WILCON DEPOT

29.5 42.55 2.2 0.51 0.045 11.3 5.68 9.69 0.086 2.13 100 8.79 3.3 970 2,182 6.08 16.16 2.85 3.46 102 12.66 8.9 0.192 1.37 3.6 4.01 4.45 2.4 10.02 3.74 2.88 11.54 5.22 160.3 10.3 1,869 1.61 0.4 44.8 89 6 2.66 1.16 1.88 3.1 0.99 6.27

30 42.7 2.2 0.52 0.045 11.3 5.68 9.8 0.088 2.13 100 8.8 3.3 970 2,206 6.08 16.4 2.85 3.49 102 12.66 8.9 0.192 1.43 3.71 4.3 4.48 2.4 10.1 3.74 2.95 11.54 5.22 168 10.3 1,880 1.61 0.4 45.3 89 6 2.72 1.17 2 3.1 1 6.45

28.5 42.5 1.75 0.5 0.044 11.3 5.55 9.6 0.085 2.02 98.5 8.79 3.3 970 2,142 6.05 15.92 2.74 3.43 101 12.66 8.85 0.184 1.36 3.53 4.01 4.4 2.25 9.87 3.65 2.75 11.54 5.22 160.3 9.45 1,835 1.58 0.39 44.5 88 5.84 2.65 1.14 1.86 3.01 0.81 6.23

SERVICES 28.9 42.5 1.8 0.52 0.044 11.3 5.68 9.6 0.086 2.04 100 8.8 3.3 970 2,194 6.06 15.92 2.75 3.43 102 12.66 8.9 0.184 1.38 3.64 4.28 4.48 2.3 10 3.69 2.76 11.54 5.22 168 10.3 1,870 1.6 0.4 44.5 88 5.95 2.68 1.16 2 3.04 0.82 6.25

848,000 36,800 3,987,000 4,147,000 26,800,000 3,000 12,200 13,195,700 39,960,000 6,961,000 102,030 9,100 1,000 100 63,110 188,600 96,000 5,066,000 78,000 4,362,870 10,000 338,000 17,040,000 735,000 496,000 3,613,000 427,000 37,000 3,659,800 1,309,000 7,576,000 6,300 7,300 460 5,081,700 215,275 4,846,000 540,000 1,743,800 1,847,280 65,300 6,397,000 4,244,000 6,000 7,431,000 110,204,000 15,504,300

24,615,455 1,565,230 7,634,170 2,134,010 1,181,200 33,900 69,270 127,927,134 3,442,010 14,392,840 10,146,553 79,990 3,300 97,000 138,288,130 1,145,193 1,542,868 14,048,280 269,180 444,893,134 126,600 3,001,450 3,177,890 1,016,880 1,775,900 15,099,950 1,902,450 84,840 36,493,709 4,808,610 21,594,720 72,702 38,106 76,125 50,367,254 399,352,680 7,735,780 213,250 77,737,520 163,031,724 387,822 17,116,620 4,914,820 11,380 22,629,430 96,921,820 97,511,066

-877,035 205,200 250,000 4,400 -2,840 1,570,831 47,300.00 -729.9999 2,971,328.50 17,117,390 15,920 125,700.00 -31,060 -1,281,573 13,500 -532,520.00 -666,050 -20,168,012 -44,420 -374,910 10,977 20,284,290 -8,000 39,300,575 68,409,019 -1,088,540 -753,740.00 -2,432,210 -37,930 11,707,567.00

ABRA MINING APEX MINING ATLAS MINING ATOK BENGUET A BENGUET B CENTURY PEAK COAL ASIA HLDG DIZON MINES FERRONICKEL GEOGRACE LEPANTO A LEPANTO B MANILA MINING A MANILA MINING B MARCVENTURES NICKEL ASIA NIHAO ORNTL PENINSULA ORNTL PETROL A ORNTL PETROL B PETROENERGY PHILODRILL PX MINING PXP ENERGY SEMIRARA MINING TA PETROLEUM UNITED PARAGON

0.0032 1.71 4.99 16.48 2.3 2.19 0.89 0.39 9.89 2.38 0.29 0.183 0.194 0.012 0.011 2.14 6.24 2.1 0.96 0.01 0.01 6.25 0.013 9 3.25 160 2.61 0.0083

0.0033 1.74 4.99 16.48 2.3 2.24 0.89 0.39 9.89 2.43 0.31 0.187 0.198 0.012 0.012 2.14 6.24 2.14 0.98 0.01 0.011 6.3 0.013 9.1 3.25 162.8 2.61 0.0084

0.0031 1.68 4.99 16.4 2.2 2.19 0.86 0.385 9.4 2.36 0.29 0.18 0.194 0.011 0.011 1.94 6.06 2.09 0.96 0.01 0.01 6.11 0.013 8.9 3.15 160 2.61 0.0083

MINING & OIL 0.0032 1,499,000,000 1.74 9,916,000 4.99 1,000 16.4 1,600 2.22 35,000 2.2 44,000 0.88 506,000 0.385 2,240,000 9.4 9,900 2.43 1,964,000 0.3 3,230,000 0.181 24,460,000 0.195 480,000 0.011 9,800,000 0.012 3,600,000 1.95 3,522,000 6.19 1,725,100 2.09 9,000 0.98 125,000 0.01 10,600,000 0.01 1,000,000 6.19 251,300 0.013 9,800,000 9.01 1,102,400 3.15 925,000 160.4 1,508,030 2.61 5,000 0.0084 6,000,000

4,759,300 16,978,030 4,990 26,328 80,160 96,760 441,280 864,750 93,135 4,681,130 961,350 4,411,060 93,780 109,900 42,600 7,153,690 10,606,166 18,870 122,360 106,000 10,100 1,546,042 127,400 9,919,460 2,932,410 242,079,449 13,050 50,300

3,200 -89,680 -4,700 529,880 -100,520.00 294,640 9,800 1,997,032 239,650 116,002,218 -

AC PREF B1 ALCO PREF B DD PREF FGEN PREF F GMA HLDG PDR GTCAP PREF A GTCAP PREF B PCOR PREF 2A SMC PREF 2B SMC PREF 2C SMC PREF 2D SMC PREF 2E SMC PREF 2F SMC PREF 2G SMC PREF 2H SMC PREF 2I

516 105.5 105 112.5 5.76 1,010 1,029 1,040 77.2 82 76.5 78.2 80.95 77.75 78.15 78.5

516 105.5 105 112.5 5.77 1,010 1,029 1,040 77.7 82 76.5 80.45 80.95 78 78.15 78.6

516 105.3 105 112 5.76 1,005 1,020 1,040 77.2 82 76.5 78.2 80.95 77.75 78 78.5

PREFERRED 516 100 105.3 10,000 105 5,360 112 210 5.77 24,800 1,005 1,500 1,020 1,480 1,040 25 77.7 3,300 82 131,700 76.5 37,500 80.45 14,970 80.95 2,200 77.75 3,070 78.15 169,100 78.5 1,500

51,600 1,054,120 562,800 23,620 143,076 1,508,000 1,513,960 26,000 254,910 10,799,400 2,868,750 1,202,086.50 178,090 238,695 13,214,865 117,767

-143,076 -2,746,350 -

LR WARRANT

2.2

2.28

2.2

WARRANTS 2.28 380,000

854,290

ITALPINAS PHILAB HLDG XURPAS

4.2 6.05 8.09

4.2 6.2 8.09

3.9 6.04 7.98

3.9 6.04 7.99

6,784,750 491,278 17,237,763

515,500 1,815 -1,400,820

FIRST METRO ETF

122.5

120.7

1,586,980

278,935

PROPERTY 6.25 1.46 2.58 1.22 40.7 4.15 5.45 5.3 0.52 1.12 1.46 0.165 0.52 50.5 0.71 0.165 1.65 1.14 0.95

317,400 77,247,000 2,873,000 5,112,000 14,462,900 655,000 34,398,900 140,200 12,662,000 134,000 1,382,000 3,210,000 6,064,000 261,780 2,332,000 610,000 1,622,000 12,615,000 5,224,000

TRADING SUMMARY FINANCIAL

37,989,734

INDUSTRIAL

139,442,576

HOLDING FIRMS

289,998,017

PROPERTY

732,722,060

SERVICES

299,890,631

MINING & OIL

1,592,097,725

GRAND TOTAL

3,096,103,000

SME

1,714,000 80,800 2,154,000

EXCHANGE TRADED FUNDS 120.7 13,100

VALUE 1,959.81 (down) 16.50 699,799,826.24 FINANCIAL INDUSTRIAL 11,069.97 (down) 42.96 1,816,021,020.292 HOLDING FIRMS 7,895.24 (down) 58.43 1,847,555,505.596 PROPERTY 3,726.06 (down) 14.36 SERVICES 1,741.87 (up) 0.62 1,662,433,570.97 MINING & OIL 12,539.41 (down) 29.13 1,821,759,346.55 PSEI 7,953.12 (down) 48.26 308,350,620.01 All Shares Index 4,740.31 (down) 19.96 8,182,023,116.13 Gainers: 83; Losers: 115; Unchanged: 47; Total: 245

status as TPs. There are 182 accredited trading participants in the exchange, including 134 active TPs and 48 inactive TPs. Inactive TPs who plan to resume brokerage operations are also be required to increase their unimpaired paid-up capital to P100 million over the next six months from the effective of the policy. “Failure to do so will also result in the revocation of their status as TPs,” the exchange said. Participants who will comply with the conditions will then be given one year to ﬁnally resume brokerage operations. PSE said the policy would take effect June 13 and would cover TPs that have not be operating since May 2012 or earlier. “The exchange will further issue guidelines on the implementation of this policy,” PSE said. The implementation of this policy is in line with the exchange’s plan to reduce brokers’ ownership in PSE to 20 percent as required by the Securities Regulation Code. PSE president Ramon Monzon earlier said one way to reduce brokers’ ownership in the exchange was to remove in the computation the shares held by inactive brokers. If removed, brokers ownership will drop 3.4 percent to 24.9 percent from 27.9 percent.

Maynilad invested over P42b in 5 years By Anna Leah E. Gonzales WEST zone concessionaire Maynilad Water Services Inc. said Tuesday it invested about P42 billion in water projects over the last ﬁve years to help address water security challenges in its concession area. Maynilad president and chief executive Ramoncito Fernandez said the company was building new facilities such as pumping stations and reservoirs to improve the water supply system’s climate change resiliency and create redundancies in the event of a disaster. “We need to make these investments to enhance water reliability despite the threat of climate change, infrastructure limitations and the rising demand for water due to population growth and urbanization,” Fernandez said during a water security forum organized by the environment committee of the Financial Executives Institute of the Philippines. Fernandez said Maynilad’s La Mesa and Putatan water treatment plants were undergoing upgrades and retroﬁtting to enhance treatment capacities in the face of rising turbidity levels in the raw water sources. Maynilad is also looking into the application of advanced treatment technologies to harness other water sources, such as seawater and used water, given the urgency of meeting the water supply needs of a growing population. The company said it was working closely with the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System which was facilitating the development of additional raw water sources for Metro Manila and adjacent areas.

Business

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 extrastory2000@gmail.com

IN BRIEF

MCDONALD’S PARTNER.

More senior high school students will receive quality training as McDonald’s renews its partnership with the Batangas division of the Department of Education for its work immersion program. Sealing the partnership are (from left) Lemuel Dayo, Sto. Tomas senior high school principal II; Felizardo Bolaños, DepEd assistant school division superintendentBatangas; Ronald McDonald, McDonald’s chief happiness ofﬁcer; Chona Torre, McDonald’s Philippines vice president for human capital group; and Quirino Ortega, McDonald’s Philippines operations manager.

WESM guidelines for Mindanao out

PNOC to develop properties By Alena Mae S. Flores

ATIONAL Development Corp., Aidea Philippines and Udenna Corp. are in talks with state-owned Philippine National Oil Co. to develop the energy firm’s real estate assets. NDC executives recently met with PNOC president Reuben Lista “to discuss matters of mutual business interest in the field of real estate,” the oil company said. NDC, an attached company of the Department of Trade and Industry, was created to function as the government’s investment arm. NDC develops, finances and implements pioneering development-oriented projects vital to the sustainability of the government’s structural reforms and

economic policies. Aidea and Udenna officials also met with Lista and other PNOC executives to discuss the design and construction of a proposed world-class Energy City at the Energy Center in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City. PNOC and the Energy Department jointly own the over five-hectare property on which will rise an iconic mixed-use office and commercial complex.

Aidea is one of the country’s top architectural design companies, while Udenna is a holding company with interests in logistics, shipping and petroleum. Lista earlier said the planned energy center qualiﬁed as a prime site for development into a viable mixed-use development. “To achieve maximum returns for the property, PNOC (with the DoE) may consider offering the property for a joint venture development with other parties,” he said. PNOC is exploring the conversion of its properties in Batangas, Manila and Bataan into energy projects and other income generating ventures. Lista said the move was part of the company’s transformation into an operating company from a pure holding one.

Lista said a technical working group had been created to draw up the manpower and other logistics requirements to operate PNOC’s Energy Supply Base land in Mabini, Batangas and convert it into a fully operational energy hub. “The site offers PNOC the opportunity to implement its own energy projects and thus fulﬁll its mandate as an operating energy company,” he said. PNOC acquired the ESB as a property dividend from Petron Corp. in 1993. It has a total land area of 19.22 hectares, including 10.55 hectares leased to PNOC Exploration Corp. Another 4.27 hectares are leased to Petron and used as bulk plant while the remaining 4.4 hectares are the hilly-eroded portion. Lista said another property up

for development into an energy hub is the former Batangas Coal Terminal property with an area of 5.3 hectares in Bauan, Batangas. The company’s subsidiary, PNOC Exploration, turned over the property to PNOC last year. Lista said PNOC had already initiated the master development plan for the Batangas coal property, which is adjacent to Keppel Shipyard, as possible site of PNOC’s energy project. Lista, meanwhile, said the company planned to develop its Sta. Mesa property covering an area of 7,597 square meters along V. Mapa and Bataan Streets. He said the project was earlier covered by a litigation and “offers PNOC the opportunity to go into joint venture to develop the site into a mixed ofﬁce/commercial/residential development.”

San Miguel: Caticlan terminal ready in ’18 By Darwin G. Amojelar SAN Miguel Corp. said it expects to complete the construction of a world-class international passenger terminal in Caticlan, Aklan province by the third quarter of next year. San Miguel president Ramon Ang said the two-story passenger terminal has 12 air bridges and can handle six million passengers a year. Ang said the new Boracay Airport in Caticlan could now handle Airbus A320 from Cebu Paciﬁc and Philippine Airlines and other international carriers ﬂying direct from South Korea, Singapore, China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Japan and Australia. The expansion of the runway to 1.8 kilometers from 950 me-

ters as been completed including navigational equipment that enabled night flights. The first A320 flights have successfully landed on November 18, 2016. The old ramp used to host only four turbo propeller aircraft. San Miguel, through Trans Aire Development Holdings Corp., is leading the expansion of Boracay airport under a 25year build-rehabilitate-operatetransfer concession granted by the Transportation Department. TADHC holds the exclusive rights, obligations and privileges to finance, design, construct, operate and maintain the airport under a concession agreement with the Transportation Department and the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines

FILIPINO MIGRATION. More than half of all Southeast Asian migrants who left for work in the world’s 30 wealthiest countries came from the Philippines, according to the Asian Development Bank. And over the past decade, money sent home by Filipinos more than doubled to $26.9 billion, accounting for about 10 percent of the economy. Remittances data for April is due next week. Bloomberg

Southeast Asia is losing best and brightest to richer nations By Karl Lester M Yap NYL Patangan, a nursing graduate from the Philippines, left his native land in search of a better life. Now working in a Chicago hospital after a stint in Dubai, he’s supporting his parents back home and is buying his mother a Toyota Vios. A recent study by the Asian Development Bank shows that the number of immigrants with university degrees who left to work in richer nations in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development surged 66 percent in the decade through 2010-2011 to 2.8 million. More than half of them came from the Philippines, with hundreds of thousands more working in regions outside the OECD like the Middle East. The trend has persisted, with the number of Filipinos leaving for work overseas rising 27 percent between 2011 and 2015. Brain drain, a term which originated in the 1960s when British scientists and intellectuals immigrated to the US, refers to the loss of human capital. Emerging nations, where salaries are but a fraction of those in

the OECD, are vulnerable to losing their brightest talent even if it offers a silver lining in the form of remittances that support families back home. The World Bank estimates that remittances to developing countries amounted to $429 billion in 2016, with those to the Philippines rising to $30 billion, a tenth of its economy. “This loss of human capital in the

ﬁelds of medicine, science, engineering, management, and education can be a major obstacle to economic and social development,” ADB researchers Jeanne Batalova, Andriy Shymonyak, and Guntur Sugiyarto wrote in a February report. Close to 10 percent of the highlyeducated citizens from the Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam live in OECD countries. For Laos and Cambodia, the

ratio is about 15 percent. The emigration comes even as Southeast Asia has made tremendous progress in boosting education in recent decades. More than 50 percent of Filipinos, Malaysians, and Singaporeans in OECD countries are highly educated, compared to the average of 30 percent. Immigrants from Southeast Asia are also often more educated or more experienced

than what is needed for the jobs they hold. About 52 percent of workers from Thailand are overqualiﬁed and the ratio is more than 40 percent for immigrants from the Philippines, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar and Vietnam. Despite the region’s economic boom, with countries including the Philippines, Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia posting growth rates of more than 6 percent, the educated citizens are still likely to look for opportunities abroad. “Migrants respond to other countries’ higher wages and better working conditions, prospects for professional development and continuous education, and opportunities to work with other skilled persons in talent clusters,” the report said. In the hospital where Patangan works as a dialysis nurse, his colleagues include migrants from Cambodia, Laos and Thailand. Holding down two jobs, Patangan is now a permanent resident in the US. He’s traveling to Europe this month before paying his parents a visit in September in southern Philippines. “You work so hard, but at least here, you’re earning,” he said. Bloom-

PHILIPPINE Electricity Market Corp. has released the trial operation guidelines and test plan for Mindanao participants following the issuance of a circular from the Energy Department declaring the launch of wholesale electricity spot market in Mindanao. “We are looking forward to our presence in Mindanao as we fully realize the vision of EPIRA (Electric Power Industry Reform Act) in the creation of a one WESM where benefits of efficiencies in electricity trading shall redound to the benefit of Mindanao end-users through a transparent and reasonablypriced electricity,” PEMC president Melinda Ocampo said in a statement. The trial operations program which will onJune 26, 2017 contains a set of preparatory activities that aim to familiarize all Mindanao participants in the implementation of the WESM through the market systems and procedures to be deployed. The participants areccomprised of generation companies, distribution utilities (electric cooperatives and private distribution utilities), bulk users directly connected to the transmission grid, and National Grid Corporation of the Philippines. Alena Mae S. Flores

Modern Customs key to PH growth FINANCE Secretary Carlos Dominguez III said the modernization of the Bureau of Customs is crucial to government goals of inclusive growth and the fight against smuggling and entry of illegal drugs and terrorists from the country’s borders. Dominguez said the agency must transform itself into “a truly modern bureaucratic organization.” Customs along with the Bureau of Internal Revenue are the two primary revenue tools that the government relies on to support its growth strategy anchored on massive public investments in infrastructure, human capital and social protection for the poor and other vulnerable sectors. The ambitious spending plan will require immense revenue inflows on top of the official development assistance that the government expects to get from other countries in the medium term, Dominguez said. “We expect the Bureau to continuously improve its procedures and processes to facilitate trade. This is important in building an investments-led growth that will produce employment opportunities for our people,” Dominguez said. Julito G. Rada

Salceda says tax package pro-poor THE overwhelming approval last week by the House of Representatives of the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion bill “will pave the way in solving the problem of inequality between the elite and marginalized Filipinos,” said Albay Rep. Joey Sarte Salceda, one of it principal authors. TRAIN (House Bill 5636) is a consolidation of Salceda’s original HB 4688 and several other measures, particularly HB 4774 by Quirino Rep. Dakila Carlo Cua. It adopted the title and most provisions of Salceda’s bill and the proposals of the Department of Finance, which seek to lower the personal income tax and deliver “a total monetary impact of P354 annually on the country’s poorest households.” Cua and Salceda are chairman and senior vice chairman, respectively, of the House Ways and Means Committee. President Rodrigo Duterte earlier certiﬁed the measure as urgent.

Ray S. Eñano, Editor business@manilastandard.net extrastory2000@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

Business

Qatar airline biggest victim in row

ATAR’S state airline is set to become the biggest loser from the diplomatic breakdown in the Persian Gulf—with competitors in Dubai and Abu Dhabi also set to suffer. Some 76 daily ﬂights are likely to be grounded, of which 52 are operated by Qatar Airways, after Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates suspended ties with Qatar, according to data from scheduling ﬁrm OAG. Some 30 percent of the carrier’s revenue could be affected, aviation analysts at Frost & Sullivan estimate.

Among Qatar Airways operations set to be shut is a shuttle to Dubai that operates 14 times a day. Plans to bar Qatari jets from entering airspace over the countries could be even more problematic, inﬂating expenses by forcing signiﬁcant diversions and putting the viability of some routes in jeopardy. “Diverting around closed

airspace means higher fuel costs and longer ﬂight times,” said Mark Martin, head of Dubai-based Martin Consulting. “Destinations in Africa and across the Indian Ocean may no longer be sustainable as part of the Qatar Airways network.” Earnings at Qatar Air, like other Gulf carriers, are already being squeezed as the low price of crude weighs on economic growth in the region and hurts demand for travel among oil-industry executives. An American ban on people using laptops aboard US-bound ﬂights amid concern about potential terrorist attacks is also taking a

toll on business-class demand. The Saudi bar on ﬂights was to be introduced immediately Monday, with the airspace ban taking effect on Tuesday. Egypt and Bahrain have also stated that overﬂying their territory will be denied to Qatari carriers, though the U.A.E. has indicated that its airspace will remain open. Qatar Air declined to comment, beyond saying that it has suspended Saudi services. Emirates and fellow long-haul specialist Etihad Airways PJSC of Abu Dhabi are set to cease operations to Doha on June 6, along with discounters FlyDubai and Air Arabia of Sharjah. Saudi

Arabian Airlines, Egyptair and Bahrain-based Gulf Air will also halt services. Foreign airlines may also have to seek permission for overﬂights to Qatar, according to a statement from the state-run Saudi Press Agency. More than 10 percent of all airline seats in and out of Qatar are assigned to ﬂights involving the four nations imposing the travel ban, said Diogenis Papiomytis, director of aerospace at Frost & Sullivan, with most passengers who use those links transferring on or off the long-haul services from which Qatar Air derives the bulk of its earnings.

Air carriers expect higher profits in ’17 CANCUN, Mexico―The International Air Transport Association increased its profit forecast for the global airline industry Monday, citing surging demand. Total profits for the group’s 275 member airlines are now expected to hit $31.4 billion this year, up more than five percent from the previous forecast late last year. “Airlines are defining a new epoch in industry profitability. For a third year in a row, we expect returns that are above the cost of capital,” said IATA’s director general, Alexandre de Juniac, as the group opened its annual meeting in the Mexican resort city of Cancun. But he warned that airlines still face risks, ranging from cost increases to security issues to growing protectionism in some countries, including the United States and Britain. “With earnings of $7.69 per passenger, there is not much buffer,” he said. “That’s why airlines must remain vigilant against any cost increases, including from taxes, labor and infrastructure.” Among the industry’s concerns, he said, was the “surprise” decision in March by the United States and Britain to ban laptop and tablet computers in-cabin on flights from certain airports in the Middle East and Turkey. The move came after intelligence officials learned of efforts by the Islamic State group to fashion a bomb into consumer electronics. But airlines are unhappy with the bans, which affect 10 airports in eight countries, in the case of the US ban, and six countries in the case of Britain’s. De Juniac said US President Donald Trump’s administration only made things worse when it threatened to extend the ban to flights to and from Europe, even though it has since backed off the idea. In the Middle East, profits and passenger numbers have fallen sharply in recent months, according to IATA. “There is growing evidence that the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin and the uncertainty created around possible US travel bans is taking a toll on some key routes,” De Juniac said. Lost productivity caused by passengers’ inability to work on affected flights is costing an estimated $180 million a year, he said. That would rise to $1.2 billion a year if the ban were extended to flights between the United States and Europe, he said. AFP

Australia keeps rates at record-low of 1.5% SYDNEY―Australia’s central bank held interest rates at a record low 1.50 percent Tuesday ahead of quarterly economic growth data analysts expect to come in weak. The Reserve Bank of Australia slashed 300 basis points from borrowing costs between November 2011 and August last year to support non-resources industries as the economy transitions out of a mining investment boom. It has remained on hold since then. “The outlook continues to be supported by the low level of interest rates,” said central bank governor Philip Lowe of the widely-anticipated decision. He said the transition to lower levels of mining investment was “almost complete” and business conditions had improved in parts of the economy not directly affected by the decline. Growth in employment was expected to continue, he added, but wage growth remained low, which was “restraining growth in household consumption.” Inflation was expected to increase gradually as the economy strengthens. On housing, the bank said debt levels were growing faster than income but tougher regulatory measures targeting lending standards “should help address the risks associated with high and rising levels of indebtedness.” Lowe noted signs that soaring house prices in Sydney and Melbourne were starting to ease. The surging prices are widely seen as being behind the RBA’s decision to hold off on further rate cuts owing to worries it would stoke more debt-funded speculation and push the cost of housing even higher. The Australian dollar climbed after the rate announcement, hitting 74.87 US cents, having earlier fallen to a low of 74.57 on weaker-than-expected exports data. Economists said the bank would want to digest the growth data before making any concrete rate-related decisions, with gross domestic tipped to come in as low as 0.1 percent on-quarter and 1.5 percent on-year in the first three months of 2017. Lowe acknowledged growth likely eased. “Year-ended GDP growth is expected to have slowed in the March quarter, reflecting the quarter-to-quarter variation in the growth figures,” he said. “Looking forward, economic growth is still expected to increase gradually over the next couple of years to a little above three percent.” Australia’s economy rebounded strongly in the December quarter, dodging a technical recession on the back of buoyant exports, government investment and household spending. AFP

On routes between Qatar and the U.A.E. eight out of every 10 passengers have an origin or final destination beyond the two countries, according to the analyst, who said the measures represent a “major headache” for route planners at all carriers concerned. His estimate that Qatar Air could see a 30 percent revenue hit includes the loss of direct traffic, the operational cost of diverting flights, the idling of planes, a disproportionate decline in premium bookings given the relative wealth of the countries imposing the ban, and a possible slump in leisure demand. Bloomberg

NEW IMAC.

An Apple employee helps a member of the media try on an HTC Vive while testing the virtual reality capabilities of the new iMac during Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, California on June 5, 2017. AFP

Green transition on despite Trump’s Paris exit By Peter Levring FOR Denmark, which relies more on wind energy than any other nation on the planet, Thursday last week was a pretty bad day. The country’s energy minister, Lars Chr. Lilleholt, watched in dismay as US President Donald Trump extracted the world’s biggest economy from the Paris accord, ignoring decades of science-based work that had guided political efforts to protect the globe from climate change. But Lilleholt says the move also ignored the sound economics of renewable energy, and if the White House isn’t listening, he’s ready to take his message elsewhere. The minister’s next stop is China, where he’ll discuss green energy this week at an event with about 20 other nations (representatives from the US will also be there). Lilleholt

An employee checks a cable on the nacelle of a Vestas A/S V136 wind turbine during operational testing at the Danish National Test Center for Large Wind Turbines in Osterild, Denmark, on Monday, April 18, 2016. Bloomberg

says the view in Washington D.C. can’t upend a movement that China, India and Europe all support. What’s more, he expects American states to ignore Trump’s agenda and continue using green energy. He says he’s already received signals from local governments to that effect. “It’s my expectation that a number of US states, east-coast states and Texas, among others, will continue to back this,” Lilleholt said in an interview in Copenhagen. “Regardless what Trump says, the green transition will continue across the world, and in the US.” According to what the Danish government is hearing, Trump is likely to be isolated in his decision to abandon the Paris accord. The pact still “looks solid,” Lilleholt said. “The rest of the world stands together. The EU is united, we’ve heard from China, India, the UK.

I haven’t heard of any other nations preparing to exit.” Lilleholt’s travel itinerary sheds some light on the global leadership shift in an area that’s proving more economically viable than fossil fuel production. Or, as Columbia University Professor Jeffrey Sachs puts it, Trump’s decision to exit the Paris climate accord “is handing industrial leadership outside the US.” Denmark, which is home to Vestas Wind Systems A/S, the world’s biggest windturbine maker, and Dong Energy A/S, the world’s biggest offshore wind-park operator, has long played a prominent role in global renewable energy policies. Vestas estimates that the US wind industry “supports more than 100,000 jobs in 50 states, and it brings billions of dollars in economic development to the communities that host

the projects,” said Morten Dyrholm, a senior vice president for marketing at the company. Denmark, which already gets about 40 percent of its electricity from wind power, is on target to have all its energy needs covered by renewables by 2050. Much of the new capacity will be built without subsidies. Lilleholt says Denmark’s experience makes clear that coal is no longer cheaper to produce than renewable energy. Lilleholt says Denmark will lobby hard in the European Union for the bloc to take a bigger role in the Paris accord now that the US is out of the arrangement. He also said it was too much to expect the rest of the world to absorb the gap left by the US. “We can’t just distribute the US obligations on 15 percent of the emissions to the other countries,” he said. Bloomberg

Jimbo Owen Gulle, Editor Roger M. Garcia, Assistant Editor jimbo.gulle@gmail.com mslocalgov@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

LGUs LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS

SIMPLE JOYS. A boy can’t hide his delight over a new notebook and school bag given to him by the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines , which donated school supplies to 463 students from Grades 1 to 4 in Bitin Elementary School, Bay, Laguna as part of its ‘Gamit ni Bulilit Project.’ NGCP has distributed school supplies to 140,000 students in more than 400 schools nationwide. Roy Tomandao

P100-b Manila Bay project OKd By Sandy Araneta

ANILA Mayor Joseph “Erap” Estrada has given the go-ahead to a new reclamation project—touted to be the biggest in Manila Bay—that would see the construction of a P100-billion, 419-hectare commercial district.

Estrada stressed the city government stands to get “almost half” of the hundreds of billions of total projected revenues of the Horizon Manila Project, proposed by real estate firm J-

Bros Construction Corp. “With another milestone project such as this one, we are getting close to achieving our dream of regaining the City of Manila’s old title, the Pearl of

the Orient. This will mean a lot to us in terms of revenues and employment and business opportunities,” Estrada said. On June 1, the mayor led the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Philippine Reclamation Authority chairman Alberto Agra, general manager Janilo Rubiato and J-Bros president Engineer Jesusito Legaspi Jr., virtually sealing the deal for the construction of the new mixed-use development center in another portion of Manila Bay. When completed, Estrada said

the project “will change the skyline of Manila and make it at par with other modern cities in the world.” “It will become the leading address for business leaders who wish to be part of Manila’s future trajectory,” he stressed. The income from the project, Estrada added, will boost the funding of the city’s flagship social programs in education, healthcare, infrastructure, and even environmental management. “Bust most importantly, this will generate thousands of jobs and livelihood opportunities for the people of Manila,” he said.

The city government earlier executed a joint venture agreement with the proponent on April 24 and subsequently issued the notice of award on May 31. As with the three approved reclamation projects recently approved by Estrada, the city government will not spend a single centavo in the ambitious Horizon Manila Project because of the JVA arrangement. Based on the JVA, the city government of Manila’s share in the new commercial hub’s revenue is 43.2 percent; J-Bros will get 56.8 percent.

259 bikes, cars held in Davao ‘Lambat’ By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—In an effort to clear the city streets of undocumented, carnapped, and “delinquent” vehicles, 259 vehicles were impounded after “Oplan: Lambat Bitag Sasakyan” here on Friday by a huge group of joint operatives. Members of the Davao City Police Office, Task Force Davao, Highway Patrol Group, Public Safety and Security Command Center, City Traffic and Transportation Management Office, Land Transportation Office XI, and the volunteer Police Auxiliary made up the group. Their operation was not limited to private and public utility vehicles, but also targeted motorcycles, tricycles and trucks. The vehicles impounded by the authorities were apprehended from Toril to Panacan area from 1 to 6 p.m., following the strict security measures of the city after the declaration of martial law in Mindanao. All but 14 of the 259 vehicles were motorcycles—three were Hilux pickups, four were sport-utility vehicles, three were cars, and four were jeepneys. All were caught for serious traffic violations. Authorities also issued 634 Temporary Operators Permits to minor traffic violators during the operation. Prior to “Oplan Lambat Bitag Sasakyan,” authorities had reminded the public they will implement stricter security measures, including on the major road thoroughfares, to ensure the safety of the city.

TURNOVER. Caloocan City Mayor Oscar Malapitan (second from right) stands with (from left) Barangay 173 chairman Isagani Aragdon, Caloocan Fire Marshal Supt. Gary Alto, and city police commander Senior Supt. Chito Bersaluna during the turnover ceremony of the Police Community Precinct 6, Barangay Hall and fire ambulance at Barangay 173. At right is Fire Supt. Randolph Bides from the Bureau of Fire Protection Regional Office. Jun David

QC adopts 3-year peace and order plan THE Quezon City Council has passed a resolution adopting the 2017-2019 Quezon City Local Peace and Order and Public Safety Plan, the highlight of which is the reorganization of the QC Peace and Order Council. The POPS Plan is a three-year or term-based plan that shall be

formulated by the local Peace and Order Council within 100 days after the assumption of duties of the newly-elected local chief executive in the 2016 elections. It is to be implemented by the January 2017 and effective until December 2019, the council added.

The POPS Plan focuses on programs and activities for peace, order, and public safety that shall be incorporated in the Comprehensive Development Plan. The QC Peace and Order Council adopted the 20172019 POPS Plan in November

last year. It is through the initiatives of the Quezon City Peace and Order Council that a series of meetings, workshops and other related activities occurred that are geared towards the effective implementation of the QC POPS Plan.

Smooth Makati school opening By Joel E. Zurbano MAKATI City Mayor Abigail Binay on Tuesday commended the city’s Department of Education, the local police force and community leaders for the opening of classes that went off without a hitch in the city. “We want to start the school year right that is why the city and its partners have undertaken measures to ensure a smooth-sailing school opening in Makati,” Binay said. The city’s public schools—27 elementary, 10 junior high, and eight senior high schools—have sufficient number of classrooms and teachers to accommodate the influx of students typical during the first week of classes. The city government’s measures include deploying 102 local police officers to man assistance desks set up in the schools to provide security and maintain order in school premises and surrounding areas. Another 16 police officers have been detailed to manage traffic at major thoroughfares near schools with big student populations, such as Benigno Aquino High School and Fort Bonifacio High School in District II. Binay also acknowledged the successful implementation of the weeklong “Brigada Eskwela” last month, which ensured clean and orderly classrooms and school premises in time for Monday’s opening of classes. The activity was conducted through the joint efforts of parents, teachers, barangay officials and volunteers, the local police and fire departments, DepEd Makati, and the city government.

Navotas honors culinary legacy of ‘Mama Sita’ NAVOTAS City recently paid tribute to Navoteña culinary luminary Teresita R. Reyes, fondly known as “Mama Sita” and founder of Marigold Manufacturing Corp. Mayor John Rey Tiangco on

Monday awarded a plaque of appreciation to Clara ReyesLapus, daughter of Mama Sita, for her family’s donation of a framed “Mama Sita” collection of commemorative stamps (series of 2013 to 2015) and

two sets of Mama Sita’s cookbooks. “We are very proud that fellow Navoteños have made huge contributions to the Filipino cuisine history. We hope that the legacy of Mama Sita

and the Reyes family will inspire Navoteños, especially our youth, to find their niche and strive to excel in it,” Tiangco said. “Mama Sita” was the eldest child of Engracia Cruz-Reyes,

founder of the iconic Aristocrat restaurant. She developed mixes and sauces that helped bring Filipino favorites such as sinigang, kare-kare, caldereta and Manila-style barbecue to the tables of Filipinos abroad.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK Manila

LGUs

Standard

TODAY WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

‘Please avoid teen pregnancy’ By Nazario A. Rodriguez Jr.

LORA, Apayao—Lone District of Apayao Rep. Eleanor C. Bulut-Begtang has urged students and their parents here to “please avoid teenage pregnancy and focus on your studies.” Speaking at the inauguration and turnover ceremony of a multi-purpose gym and two school buildings on the opening day of classes Monday at one of the province’s most innermost secondary schools, the lawmaker noted that the Cordillera Administrative Region has the highest rate of teen pregnancies in the country. Flora town, she added, is among the municipalities with

the highest pregnancy rates, but apologized for not having any available data. Based on a 2013 Population Commission survey, Apayao has averaged 50 to 55 teenage pregnancies among those 16 to 20 years old. Baguio City alone has recorded 1,006 live births by teenagers aged 16 to 20, based on local civil registrar records in 2015. Popcom tallies population of the Cordilleras at 1.7 million,

one of the lowest compared to other regions, with two to three children per family. While Congress is on recess, Bulut-Begtang has been touring the seven municipalities of the province, saying this is only one of the opportunities to meet the people “and personally feel their miseries, get to know their problems, and extend to them her well-wishes.” “Always remember that life is becoming harder. So you should not complicate your miseries further (with early pregnancies),” she told the students of Mayor Ricardo De San Jose Comprehensive High School as well as their teachers, parents and local public officials. The newly-renovated multipurpose gymnasium, worth P2 mil-

lion and located in Barangay Sta. Maria here, was completed early last year but had been destroyed by Typhoon “Lawin” in October 2016, with damages reaching P500,000, Bulut-Begtang said. Also being built beside the gym is a three-story senior high school edifice with 24 classrooms and the standardtype classrooms at the school’s eastern side, which are already being used. District engineer Januario Garde of the Department of Public Works and Highways said these three projects are under the Local Development Fund through the office of Rep. BulutBegtang. Also present during the occasion were Mayor Rodolfo B. Juan, Vice Mayor Jessica L. De

San Jose, Councilor Aniceta T. Cacacho, Schools Division superintendent Dr. Amador Garcia, principal Remigio Tomas, provincial board member Elmer Molina, and councilor-brothers Florendo D. Conde and Demetrio Conde Jr., who are from this barangay. Another Conde, Robert, is a head teacher at MRDCHS. In his closing remarks, Robert recalled that it was the late Rep. Elias C. Bulut Sr., father of Bulut-Begtang, who authored the bill creating four schools in the province of Apayao, including De San Jose High. “We started with 160 students. On our fourth year, we have already averaged 360. Today we have around 500 students,” he said.

Manila

Standard

TODAY

SHOW OF FORCE.

Mayors, former mayors and other Metro Manila politicians flash their fists in a forum of Solid Duterte supporters headed by former Mandaluyong City mayor Benhur Abalos (left) and his father Benjamin Abalos (right) at the city’s Edsa ShangriLa Hotel. Benhur’s wife Carmelita or Menchie is the current Mandaluyong mayor. Manny Palmero

Subic, Clark affirm growth partnership NOTICE OF LOSS

By Butch Gunio

SUBIC BAY FREEPORT—The Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority and the Clark International Airport Corp. reaffirmed their partnership as global gateways to boost development in the Central Luzon region and to propel

national economic growth. Speaking during the CIAC 2017 Roadshow here, SBMA Administrator Wilma Eisma and CIAC president and CEO Alex Cauguiran expressed their continuing commitment to work hand-in-hand toward regional growth, and outlined their vision

This is toport, inform for a more effective partnership. Eisma said CIAC and the generalSBMA publiccan serve the needs of mi“President Duterte hasthealways Valle cro, Verde emphasized that he wantsthat to consmall, and medium enterprisCountry Club, nect Clark and Subic free ports es, as well as large manufacturing Inc. Ppropriety in order to turn Centralm Luzon e m b e industries r s h i p in the region. into a major logistics hub,” Eisma They Certificate No.would also spur growth in said in a message read by4689 SBMAissued tourismtoand the MSMEs and big chief marketing executiveMS. RonniePADHMINI industries through the efficient RAMNANI lost. of people, goods, and Yambao. “And this is how it re- was movement ally should be.” services to and from Central Lu“As world-class gateways, NOTICEzon OF and other parts of the country, Clark International AirportEXTRA-JUDICIAL and and create more employment and SETTLEMENT OF the Port of Subic can andESTATE shouldWITHlivelihood opportunities in the reWAIVER AND RENUNCIATION OF serve as the twin turbo-engine of gion, she added. RIGHTS growth for Central Luzon, a ‘suNotice is hereby“So givenas you can probably estate of the late per duo,’ if I may call it,that thatthecan surmise, ANGEL VELANTE and our only option is to VELANTE waseffectively, help alleviate urban blightPHOEBE like vework efficiently, extra-judicially settled by hicular traffic and port congestion together if and among theirand heirs asharmoniously per No. 8663; Page No. in Metro Manila,” EismaDoc. added. we are to support and fulfill the 18; Book No. XXXV; Series of 2015, executed before By coordinating the operations President’s agenda for Subic and CARLYN A. MONASTRIAL - ViceseaConsul Clark,” (PhilippineEisma added. of Clark airport and Subic ( M S - M AY 2 4 , 31, J U N E 7 2 017 )

Republic of the Philippines Office of the President

PHILIPPINE DRUG ENFORCEMENT AGENCY BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

PDEA Bldg., NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Barangay Pinyahan Quezon City 1100, Philippines www.pdea.gov.ph

INVITATION TO BID SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF TEN (10) UNITS MOTOR VEHICLES Bid Ref. No. 2017-03 1.

ThePhilippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA), thru its Bids and Awards Committee (BAC), intends to apply the sum ofTEN MILLION FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND PESOS(P 10,500,000.00)through General Appropriations Act (GAA) for CY 2017 being the Approved Budget for the Contract (ABC)for the SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF TEN (10) UNITS MOTOR VEHICLES. Bids received in excess of the ABC shall be automatically rejected duringbid opening. 2. The PDEA - BAC now invites bids for SUPPLY AND DELIVERY OF TEN (10) UNITS MOTOR VEHICLES.Delivery of the goods is 60calendar days upon receipt of Notice to Proceed. Bidders should have completed within three (3) years from the date of submission and receipt of bids, a contract similar to the Project. The description of an eligible bidder is contained in the Bidding Documents, particularly, in Section II Instructions to Bidders. 3. Bidding will be conducted through open competitive bidding procedures using a non-discretionary “pass/fail” criterion as specified in the 2016 Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of Republic Act (RA) 9184, otherwise known as the “Government Procurement Act.” Bidding is restricted to Filipino citizens/sole proprietorships, partnerships, or organizations with at least sixty percent (60%) interest or outstanding capital stock belonging to citizens of the Philippines, and to citizens or organizations of a country the laws or regulations of which grant similar rights or privileges to Filipino citizens, pursuant to RA 5183. 4. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA) and inspect the Bidding Documents at the address given below during office hours (8:00 am to 5:00pm). 5. A complete set of Bidding Documents may be acquired by interested Bidders on May 29, 2017 from the address given below and upon payment of the applicable fee for the Bidding Documents, pursuant to the latest Guidelines issued by the GPPB, in the amount of twenty-fivethousand pesos (PhP25, 000.00). The Invitation to Bid may be downloaded from the website of the Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PhilGEPS) and PDEA Website at www.pdea.gov.ph, provided that Bidders shall pay the applicable non-refundable fee for the Bidding Documents not later than the submission of their bids. The PDEA-BAC will hold a Pre-Bid Conference on June 2, 2017, 9:00 a.m. at ODDGA Conference Room, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City 1100 which shall be open to prospective bidders. 6. Bids must be duly received by the BAC Secretariat at the address below on or before June 14, 2017, 9:00 a.m. All Bids must be accompanied by a bid security in any of the acceptable forms and in the amount stated in ITB Clause 18. Bid opening shall be on June 14, 2017, 9:00 a.m. at PDEA Main Conference Room, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Pinyahan, Quezon City 1100. Bids will be opened in the presence of the bidders’ representatives who choose to attend at the address below. Late bids shall not be accepted. 9. Interested bidders may obtain further information from the BAC Secretariat c/o Mr. Arvin E Sadulloat the PDEA Compound, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PMonly, Mondays to Fridays starting May 29, 2017at Tel No. (632)920-8082.However, any queries relative to the contents of the bid documents and the project requirements can only be made by bidders who purchased the bid documents not later than Ten (10) days prior to the Submission and Opening of Bids. 10. PDEA reserves the right to reject any and all bids, declare a failure of bidding, or not award the contract at any time prior to contract award in accordance with Section 41 of RA 9184 and its IRR, without thereby incurring any liability to the affected bidder or bidders. 11. For further information, please refer to: Mr. Arvin E Sadullo PDEA-Logistics Management Service PDEA Compound, NIA Northside Road, National Government Center, Quezon City Tel No. (632)920-8082 (Sgd) JESUS A FAJARDO, MMOAS Deputy Director General for Administration Chairman, Bids and Awards Committee (MS-JUNE 7, 2017)

Consulate-San Francisco, California, USA). (MS-MAY 10,17 & 24, 2017)

LEGAL NOTICE NOTICE NOTICEOF OF DISSOLUTION Pursuant to Sec 1, Rule 74 of LOSS the new Rules of Court, Notice The public is hereby notified that CORTEXPH is hereby given the intestate of

INC., aiscorporation organized and existing the late Juanita Duque under who died This to inform on April address 16 1978 in at San15/F Juan Philippine laws, with registered City, Metro Manila, Philippines. the general public Enterprise Center Tower I Left 6766 Ayala Cor. a parcel of Ave. land covered that Verde by Transfer Certificate of Title PaseoValle de Roxas Brgy. San Lorenzo, Makati T1202 situated in the city of Country Club, City, Philippines, will be no DISSOLVED Davao, Philippines. through Containing shortening Propriety of corporate anterm accordance area ofinTwo hundred ninety Inc. Square Meter (293) Code. s, more with Corporation m e mSection b e r s120 h i pof theor less. Has been the subject The corporation’s dissolution will take effectof of Extrajudicial Settlement Certificate No. Estate. Made executed by upon approval by the Securities andandExchange the heirs as per Doc no. 450; 4689 issued Commission of thetoamendment the Page No. 91;made Book No.on II; Series MS. PADHMINI of 2017. Before to Notary Public corporation’s Articles of Incorporation shorten Atty Sarah Joelle Lintag of Makati its corporatewas term. RAMNANI lost. City. ( M S - M AY 2 4 , 31, J U N E 7, 2 017 )

(MS-MAY 29, JUNE 12, 2017) (MS-MAY 24,315&&JUN 7, 2017)

ERRORS & OMISSIONS In Classified Ads section must be brought to our attention the very day the advertisement is published. We will not be responsible for any incorrect ads not reported to us immediately.

NOTICE OF SALE OF DELINQUENT SHARES Pursuant to Article XV of the Amended By-Laws of Canlubang Golf and Country Club, Inc. (“Cangolf”), notice is hereby given that the Board of Directors of Cangolf, in a meeting held on 14 March 2017, declared the following shares delinquent for failure to pay the arrears thereon (the “Delinquent Shares”): Name of Member Luy, Kim Guan Mercator Securities Corp. Suarez, Stanley Young Jun Kim Philippine Fabrikoid, Inc.

Membership Certificate Number 0575 2110 2010 2700 0816

The Delinquent Shares shall be sold at a public auction on 09 June 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at the Clubhouse of Cangolf located at Canlubang, Laguna. All interested parties may submit sealed bids for the Delinquent Shares on or before 11:00 a.m. on 09 June 2017 at the Clubhouse of Cangolf located at Canlubang, Laguna. Cangolf reserves the right to set minimum bid price and other terms and conditions of the sale. The owners/members of Delinquent Shares may settle their arrears with Cangolf on or before 08 June 2017 to exclude their share from the public auction. Registration shall open at 10:00 a.m. and close exactly at 11:00 a.m. For further inquiries, please call Ms. Maite Y. Tengco at 897-6887 or 890-9321.

ARSENIO C. CABRERA, JR. Corporate Secretary

(MS-JUNE 7, 2017)

Republic of the Philippines Department of Health CENTRAL OFFICE BIDS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

INVITATION TO BID PROCUREMENT OF VARIOUS GOODS The Department of Health (DOH), through the General Appropriations Act CY 2017 intends to apply the amount of Eighty Nine Million Fifty Four Thousand Three Hundred Seventy Four Philippine Pesos (PhP89,054,374.00) for the project listed below. Bids received in excess of each ABC shall be automatically rejected at bid opening:

‘Nanning Day’ set June 9 in Davao By F. Pearl A. Gajunera DAVAO CITY—The Municipal Government of Nanning in China is bringing a 44-person delegation comprised of cultural performers, medical practitioners, and business persons as part of its continuing cooperation with Davao, its sister city for the last decade. This is among the commitments made by Nanning City when a delegation led by Nanning Mayor Zhou Hongbo visited Davao City in April this year, the local government said. The event, called “Nanning Day in Davao City,” celebrates the 10-year friendship between Davao and the southern Chinese city. This will highlight and promote bilateral exchange in the fields of trade and commerce, health, and culture. Chinese cultural performances will be held at the Abreeza Mall of Davao on June 9 to be presented by the Nanning Art and Theatre Co., Ltd., a state-owned cultural company rated as a Class A art troupe by the national authority of China. An exclusive art exhibition titled “Beautiful Nanning” will also be presented, featuring photography works themed on sites, landmarks, natural scenery and culture of the beautiful city of Nanning. A Nanning business delegation, composing of 20 companies in the sectors of agriculture, education, tourism, traditional Chinese medicine, manufacturing, and construction, will also hold a product exhibition during the event to seek possible partnership with Davao-based enterprises.

IN BRIEF NGCP donates school supplies BALANGA CITY, Bataan—The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines has donated school supplies to students in an elementary school in this city. Grades 1 to 3 of Barrio Central Elementary School were given school supplies through the transmission company’s program “Gamit ni Bulilit.” A total of 170 students each received a bag of school supplies containing 10 composition notebooks, paper and pencil. “This is big help for us poor parents,” resident Laila Ramos said. Ramil Cubales, school principal, said he is grateful to NGCP for choosing their school to benefit from the company’s “Gamit ni Bulilit” program. Lida May Lopez, NGCP Head of the Corporate Initiative Division, pointed out education is a priority under their corporate social responsibility outreach program. “This simple act of kindness from NGCP will somehow lessen the burden of parents in providing school supplies for their children,” Cubales said. Butch Gunio

NIA-CAR to bid out P170-m Chico repair LA TRINIDAD, Benguet—The Cordillera office of the National Irrigation Administration will conduct a public bidding for 20 packages of works within the various portions of the Upper Chico Irrigation System or UCRIS amounting to at least P170 million so the agency could serve more areas. Engineer John Socalo, NIA-CAR regional irrigation manager, said the bid documents are still undergoing review by the NIA central office technical personnel and representatives of the World Bank, to make sure the conditions and other procedures will comply with the provisions of Republic Act 9184 or the Government Procurement Law. He said the contract for the overall rehabilitation of UCRIS totaling P425 million was unilaterally terminated by the government because of the failure of the contractor, Macbelt Policarpio, to finish the programmed works even when it was granted several extensions to complete the pending works. CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK “We are optimistic that we will be able to bid out the remaining works this coming October once the review of the bid documents by our personnel in the central office is finalized,” Socalo stressed. Dexter A. See

Firm starts building 60-MW hydro project KAPANGAN, Benguet—The Cordillera Hydroelectric Power Corp. or Coheco has started the groundwork for the full-blast construction of its 60-megawatt run-of-river hydro project in Barangay Cuba here, which is expected to spur the socio-economic growth of its host and neighboring communities. Lawyer Jingboy Atonen, Coheco legal and government relations officer, said contractors have progressed a kilometer away from the highway down to the Amburayan River in barangay Beleng-Belis. That is part of the 26-kilometer Cuba-Badeo access road committed by the company to link the towns of Kapangan and Kibungan. While there were delays in the construction of the access road, which will pave the way for the construction of the hydro plant facilities, Atonen said the company had to iron out internal and external concerns to ensure the uninterrupted implementation of the hydro project. Dexter A. See CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK

World IN BRIEF Erdogan speaks on Qatar-Gulf row I S TA N B U L ― T u r k i s h President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has spoken to key players in the dispute between Qatar and the neighboring Gulf Arab countries in efforts to ﬁnd a solution, his spokesman said. Erdogan “has initiated diplomatic efforts to resolve this dispute between friends and brothers in line with the spirit of the holy month of Ramadan,” spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said in a statement late Monday. Erdogan has not yet commented on the crisis, in which Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Yemen cut their ties with Qatar Monday, accusing it of supporting extremism. But deputy prime minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that Erdogan had already been in contact with several key players. He spoke by phone with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, Kuwaiti Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Jaber al-Sabah, and King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported. He also discussed the crisis, the biggest in the region for years, with Russian President Vladimir Putin. “I would like to take this opportunity to declare once again that Turkey is prepared to do its due over the next days and weeks,” Kalin said in the statement. Turkey enjoys friendly relations with Qatar including in the energy sector, but also maintains good ties with other Gulf countries. AFP

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

Bookies favor May victory L

ONDON―While polls suggest a tightening in Britain’s general election race, bookmakers believe Prime Minister Theresa May will win an increased majority while admitting to forecasting failures in the past.

Trump wants to re-engage with Moscow WELLINGTON―US President Donald Trump has told his top diplomat to ignore trouble in Washington and reengage with Russia to rebuild ties, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday. With ex-FBI director James Comey due to testify to Congress on Thursday, Tillerson was asked if he feared the administration would be brought down over allegations of Trump’s election campaign ties with Moscow. “The president has been clear to me, ‘Do not let what’s happening over here in the political realm prevent you from the work you need to do in this relationship’,” he told reporters in New Zealand. Comey’s testimony will be his first public remarks since being fired by Trump last month, and represents a moment of danger for the embattled president. His sacking came as the Federal Bureau of Investigation probes possible collusion between Trump’s election campaign team and Russia―which US intelligence believes hoped to tilt the election in the Republican’s favor. Tillerson said he could not comment on the investigations into Russian ties and was “really ... not involved in any of these other issues”. But he added: “The president has been very clear with me that Russia is an important global player and today our relationships with Russia are at a very low point and they’ve been deteriorating. “So the president asked me to begin a re-engagement process with Russia to stabilize that relationship so it does not deteriorate further.” Trump wanted him to “identify areas of mutual interest where perhaps we can build some level of trust and confidence so that there are areas where we can work together”. “And that’s the process that’s under way today,” Tillerson said. AFP

ONSTAGE. Lee Loughnane of Chicago performs for SiriusXM Live From Whisky a Go Go on June 5, 2017 in West Hollywood. AFP

North Korean tots preparing for war PYONGYANG―To celebrate Korean Children’s Union Day on Tuesday, the pupils of Pyongyang Number Four Primary School threw mock grenades at targets, crawled under a frame and threw themselves over a fence―all with an imitation AK47 over their shoulders. After completing the obstacle course, Myong Hyon-Jong, whose favorite subject is mathematics, said she wanted to join the army when she grows up, to “safeguard the respected Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un with military power”. “We have to prepare ourselves to defend our country,” she added. Hyon-Jong is 10 years old. Her teacher Ri Su-Ryon explained the race was intended “to give the children the spirit to defend our country when they are grown up, and to prepare them physically and mentally to beat down any enemies while upholding the Songun [militaryﬁrst] revolutionary leadership of the respected marshal”―a reference to leader

Kim Jong-Un. Nuclear-armed North Korea is technically still in a state of conﬂict after the 1950-53 Korean War ended with an armistice rather than a peace treaty. It considers itself at risk of invasion by the US―its justiﬁcation for the atomic and missile programs that have seen it subjected to multiple rounds of United Nations Security Council sanctions. The latest expansion came only last week. Since the beginning of 2016 Kim has overseen two nuclear tests and scores of missile launches as Pyongyang seeks to develop a missile that can deliver a warhead to the continental United States―something that President Donald Trump has vowed “won’t happen”. Tensions soared earlier this year as his administration said that military options were being considered. Teacher Ri, 24, took part in the obstacle race herself and told AFP: “I threw the hand grenade with the mind that I would

beat down all the enemies who even try to infiltrate our country.” Ordinary North Koreans normally only express officially-approved views when speaking to foreign media. All North Korean children are automatically members of the Korean Children’s Union, whose uniform includes the red neckerchiefs of the Young Pioneers of other communist states. It is one of the mechanisms through which loyalty to the authorities is inculcated from an early age, and the anniversary of its foundation in 1946 is a public holiday, marked by sports days at schools across the country. “On this occasion, all the people in the country are recalling with deep emotion the immortal feats performed by peerlessly great men,” the official Korean Central News Agency reported, referring to the North’s founder Kim Il-Sung and his successor Kim Jong-Il, the grandfather and father of the current leader. AFP

Ladbrokes favors May to see her present majority rise on Thursday from 17 to 70 seats while William Hill suggests a more modest increase to between 40 and 50, despite opinion polls that forecast a closer result or even a loss of majority for May’s Conservatives. William Hill spokesman Rupert Adams did though admit to AFP he was “slightly concerned by the betting patterns” and wary of the bookies having “cocked-up” the past three big political betting events―the 2015 general election, the EU referendum and Donald Trump’s victory in the US. Matthew Shaddick, Ladbrokes head of political odds, said his colleagues were confident they have it right. “We are factoring in two things that have been apparent in previous elections,” he told AFP. “Labour have fallen away in the final throes of campaigning and secondly polls have overstated Labour support.” Adams, whose employer expects to have taken around �5 million (5.7 million euros, $6.5 million) in election bets by Thursday, said it may have something to do with “shy” Conservative supporters not figuring in polls. “Polls suggesting a hung parliament, we believe, should be taken with a pinch of salt,” he said. “The Tory voters are less likely to speak up” and prefer to say they are undecided or voting for the Liberal Democrats, a minor opposition party. Both Adams and Shaddick said there was a consistent pattern in the big individual wagers being on the Tories, while lots of smaller bets are laid on Labour. Adams said there was a similar pattern before the Scottish referendum in 2014 and Shaddick said it was a trend in betting ahead of the EU referendum. The big individual bets went on remaining in the European Union, with many smaller punters betting on exiting the EU -- although in that case, it was the small-time gamblers who were right. “The big money is on the Conservatives. All the 4-5 figure bets are on a Tory majority,” said Shaddick. “The smaller amounts, but lots of them, are on Labour. It would cost us a lot if they won!” Adams said the recent terror attacks in Manchester and London have had an impact on betting, with no bets laid on Sunday, the day after three attackers mowed down pedestrians in a van before launching a stabbing spree, killing seven and injuring dozens. He said the scene in Scotland had changed too since May announced the snap election in April. “Initially the odds favored the SNP (Scottish National Party) taking all the seats but that has changed with the Tories likely to win six,” said Adams. For the center-left Lib Dems, there are differing messages. Ladbrokes have had some takers at 7/1 for them being wiped out completely although their favored position is winning 10 or 11 seats. William Hill believes they could finish with 14 or 15. As for the long term futures of the party leaders, Adams said May’s could be uncertain whilst Corbyn’s is assured. “Corbyn is 2/9 to remain as leader afterwards whatever happens. As we know he’s pretty stubborn,” said Adams. AFP

Ghani warns Taliban: Last chance for peace

KABUL―Afghan President Ashraf Ghani issued an ultimatum to the Taliban Tuesday, warning them to embrace peace or “face consequences” after announcing that the death toll from last week’s truck bombing had passed 150. Ghani has come under mounting public criticism for spiraling insecurity, with a wave of protests and deadly street clashes roiling the Afghan capital as people incensed by the violence call for his government’s resignation. The president made a strong plea for security at an international peace conference on Afghanistan attended by around two dozen countries. Armored vehicles patrolled the streets as part of tight security and ﬁghter jets roared over the capital. “We are offering a chance for peace but this is not an openended offer,” Ghani said.

“Time is running out... this is the last chance: take it or face consequences.” The conference, labeled the “Kabul Process”, aims to build international support for peace. There was no immediate reaction from the Taliban to Ghani’s comments. Kabul has been on edge since the massive truck bomb last Wednesday ripped through the city’s highly fortiﬁed diplomatic quarter, home to the presidential palace and a host of foreign embassies. The death toll from the devastating attack has jumped to more than 150 people, while over 300 wounded were brought to hospitals, many with burns and amputations, Ghani told the conference. Previously ofﬁcials had put the number of dead at 90. Ghani did not immediately explain the

FORUM. Danish Princess Mary arrives to address the opening of the OECD Forum on June 6 in Paris. AFP

Cesar Barrioquinto, Editor

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

Hackers probed US voting systems

World

Brazil President Temer faces court showdown B RASILIA―Brazil’s President Michel Temer, already fighting a huge graft scandal, faces a court hearing Tuesday that could see him forced from office, plunging Latin America’s biggest country into untested political waters.

Temer has been hanging by a thread since the revelation of a secret audio clip in which he is allegedly heard giving his blessing to payment of hush money by a meatpacking tycoon to a top politician jailed for corruption. But starting Tuesday, he faces the separate, more immediate challenge of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, known as the TSE. The TSE is deciding whether abuse of power―principally the use of corrupt campaign money― fatally undermined the validity of the 2014 election in which Temer was reelected vice president with then president Dilma Rousseff. When Rousseff was impeached last year, Temer took over. If the TSE judges Temer to have been responsible for abuses in

2014, the court could then annul the election results, throwing Brazil into its second presidential crisis in just over a year. The session starts in the capital Brasilia Tuesday at 2200 GMT. More sessions are scheduled for 1200 GMT Wednesday, then 1200 GMT and 2200 GMT Thursday. The verdict will be voted on by the seven-judge panel. But it is possible at any point that the hearing could be adjourned for a lengthy period at the request of one of the judges -- something that would win Temer some badly needed breathing space. The TSE had previously been considered as something of a sideshow. At most, the court was expected to put the blame for use of dirty campaign money exclusively

on Rousseff. Since the unpopular leftist leader is already out of the picture―having been judged guilty of breaking government accounting rules in 2016―there would be little trauma. Temer, a conservative, would be allowed to finish his mandate through 2018. However, the eruption of the hush money allegations against Temer have led to hopes among his opponents that the TSE will seize the opportunity to bring him down. On Sunday, Temer’s lawyer Gustavo Guedes claimed that Prosecutor General Rodrigo Janot is leaning on the TSE “to find the president guilty.” The accusation of political interference ramped up the already soaring tension in the capital. If Temer is convicted, his already weakening grip on power may become untenable. The election court would decide whether to suspend him immediately or allow him to remain in office pending a final decision. In theory, he would be able to fight the verdict both in the TSE

and at the Supreme Court. But his center-right alliance in Congress would risk collapse. Even if he survives the TSE, Temer would still face Janot’s intensifying corruption probe at the Supreme Court. Brasilia is swirling with reports that Janot plans to ﬁle a request for the Supreme Court to accept formal corruption and obstruction of justice charges soon, triggering a trial. Janot is also rumored to be in possession of more secret audio recordings and other evidence compromising the president. Adding to that threat is the possibility that further suspects in the corruption scandal will strike plea bargains with prosecutors and testify against Temer. Chief among those potential new witnesses is a former Temer aide, Rodrigo Rocha Loures, who was caught with a suitcase containing 500,000 reais ($152,000) of alleged bribe money. He was placed under arrest Saturday but has not yet signaled whether he will agree to cooperate with prosecutors. AFP

WASHINGTON―A top secret US report showing that hackers from Russian military intelligence tried repeatedly to break into US voting systems before last year’s presidential election raised new alarms Monday about the extent of Moscow’s meddling. But the alleged leak of the National Security Agency document by one of the tens of thousands of private contractors to US spy agencies, barely one month after the report was written, became the newest embarrassment for the US intelligence community. Keen to crack down on a flood of leaks, almost immediately after the report was published, the Trump administration announced the arrest of intelligence contractor Reality Leigh Winner, 25, on charges of violating the espionage act. “Releasing classified material without authorization threatens our nation’s security and undermines public faith in government. People who are trusted with classified information and pledge to protect it must be held accountable when they violate that obligation,” Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein said in a statement. The NSA report was published Monday by The Intercept, an online news website which focuses on national security issues. It depicted a hacking operation tied closely to Moscow’s GRU intelligence directorate that targeted private US companies providing voter registration services and equipment to local governments. The operation, which potentially threatened the integrity of the US vote, went on for months, until just days before the November 8 election,

according to the document. The NSA did not conclude whether the hackers had any effect on the outcome, The Intercept said. But US intelligence officials have repeatedly said vote tallies were not affected in the election, in which President Donald Trump beat Democrat Hillary Clinton in a shock upset. The Intercept said the NSA document was dated May 5, and did not say how they acquired it. But barely an hour after its report appeared, the Department of Justice announced the arrest of Winner, an employee of a national security contractor in Augusta, Georgia, for leaking top secret information to “an online news outlet”. While neither the information leaked or the outlet were identified in the arrest documents, the information was also described as a report dated May 5. Intelligence officials have confirmed to US media that Winner’s case was linked to The Intercept. Asked about her arrest, Intercept spokeswoman Vivian Siu said the NSA document came to them anonymously. “The Intercept has no knowledge of the identity of the source,” she said. The NSA report expanded on US allegations that Russian President Vladimir Putin directed a concerted effort, involving hacking and disinformation, to interfere with the 2016 election to help Trump. “Russian General Staff Main Intelligence Directorate actors ... executed cyber espionage operations against a named US company in August 2016, evidently to obtain information on elections-related software and hardware solutions,” the NSA report says, according to The Intercept. AFP

A fantastical factory of raw art in Austria MARIA GUGGING, Austria―Nestled in the hills of Austria sits Gugging, an artists’ colony with a difference where the worlds of psychiatry and art collide―with spectacular success. Over the past 50 years, mentally ill patients here have churned out an astounding 75,000 recognized artworks, some selling for over 100,000 euros ($110,000). In particular, it is a wellspring for “Art Brut”, producing some of the giants in the popular genre like August Walla, Oswald Tschirtner and Johann Hauser. “Raw art” or “outsider art”, as it is known in English, is art by those untrained in―and untainted by―artistic conventions. To the Frenchman who coined the term, Jean Dubuffet (1901-1985), it is found in the works of “primitive societies”, of children― and of the mentally ill. Until July 2, Dubuffet’s sensation-causing 1949 “L’Art Brut” exhibition in Paris that started it all is being staged again at the Gugging Museum. Featured are works by those Dubuffet met while scouring Europe’s care homes for people with mental illnesses, like Adolf Woelfli, a Swiss suffering from psychosis and hallucinations. Others include schizophrenic Aloise Corbaz who would use, at first in secret, juice from petals and toothpaste to create colorful and fantastical images, often of lovers. “Up until then (1949), what they produced was seen, at best, as a kind of curiosity, certainly not as works of art,” Johann Feilacher, director of the Gugging Art Brut Centre, told AFP. The early history of the Gugging psychiatric hospital, in the forested hills north of Vienna, is dark. During World War II, the Nazis killed hundreds of its patients. In the 1950s though, its new director, Leo Navratil, began to diagnose his patients by getting them to draw. Amazed by the results, Navratil began a correspondence with Dubuffet and as the output of its patients grew, so did Gugging’s fame as a mecca for art brut. In 1981, Navratil founded at Gugging an art and psychotherapy centre, later renamed the House of Artists. A commercial gallery and museum followed, drawing a growing stream of visitors. One was David Bowie, who bought several works for his art collection. The psychiatric clinic itself closed around a decade ago, but the artists’ colony remains. “For us, the residents are first and foremost artists with special needs, not patients,” said Feilacher, who took over from Navratil in 1986. Walla, Tschirtner and Hauser are dead now but half a dozen Gugging artists still generate works today bought by galleries and collectors the world over. They include Franz Kernbeis, who, when first admitted in 1955, would remain immobile for hours, Karl Vondal, who specialises in erotic works, and Johann Garber. AFP

EXHIBITION. The atmosphere at GUESS Celebrates 35 Years with Opening of Exhibition at the FIDM Museum & Galleries on June 5, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. AFP

Wading in to help US despite Trump’s climate snub LORTON―President Donald Trump may have torpedoed the Paris climate accord as US diplomats brace for huge cuts to their environmental programs. But on Monday, American ofﬁcials joined world diplomats wading out into the Potomac estuary to replant seagrass in a telling gesture paired with an unlikely photo opportunity. Embassy staff from 13 countries― from great power China to tiny island nation Malta―joined helpers from the State Department to restore a small corner of the waterway. Their grass had germinated six months ago under a previous administration that had made environmental protection a foreign policy priority. The shoots were nurtured in foreign embassies in Washington, then wrapped in damp newspaper for the hour-long road trip to Mason Neck State Park in

Virginia. Soggy headlines in several languages recalled the political and diplomatic chaos in Washington as the Trump administration beds in. The heading on one editorial― covering part of the grass that Costa Rica was to contribute to Belmont Bay’s underwater ecosystem―stood out: “Climate change hypocrites.” It was an unfortunate note at an otherwise quietly positive event to help a mighty waterway. Once badly polluted, America’s biggest estuary network is slowly recovering. Water snakes swam by and ospreys dove for ﬁsh as the volunteers waded in. But even as the diplomats worked, a new batch of headlines was being written elsewhere. In New York, UN chief Antonio

Guterres urged countries to put aside national interests to focus on saving the oceans and prevent “global catastrophe.” In Beijing, the senior diplomat at the US embassy―which is still waiting for its new ambassador to arrive―resigned abruptly, reportedly over opposition to Trump’s climate stance. And a new poll, conducted for ABC News and The Washington Post, found that US voters oppose Trump’s decision on the Paris pact by a margin of two to one. Although China and Europe have vowed to increase their support for the 2015 Paris accord’s plan to cut greenhouse emissions, the US boycott leaves a gap in leadership. Several US climate-related programs would disappear under a proposed budget presented by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former CEO of oil

giant ExxonMobil. The Bureau of Oceans and International and Scientiﬁc Affairs, which had several staff on hand for Monday’s event, will not suffer that fate. Its budget is slated to be cut by only $1.7 million to around $13.3 million. Another program dear to the previous secretary of state, John Kerry, will also continue: the annual Our Oceans summit promoting maritime conservation. Kerry hosted the 2016 summit in Washington, and the European Union will host this year’s conference in Malta, which holds the rotating presidency. Malta’s ambassador Clive Agius, who joined the volunteers to plant a batch of seagrass, conﬁrmed Europe’s concern at Trump’s Paris decision. “We cannot not feel a bit disappointed that we’re not all pulling the same rope,” he said on the muddy foreshore. AFP[

Life

MAN OF THE HOUR.

Daniel Matsunaga’s inherent style and confidence makes him the first male celebrity endorser of Men’s Club by Avon.

FASHION & BEAUTY

Isah V. Red, Editor Bernadette Lunas, Writer isahred@gmail.com

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

Daniel Matsunaga is Avon’s Modern Gentleman

EN’S Club by Avon has named actor and model Daniel Matsunaga as its first male celebrity endorser during the launch of Avon Fashions Intimate Apparel’s new campaign.

Matsunaga will also be strongly supporting the brand’s advocacy efforts to promote body positivity and self-love. According to Avon Philippines Marketing Director Jean Reyes, Matsunaga is “a man of style, adventure, and confidence that perfectly reflects The Modern Gentleman. He knows what makes him comfortable in his own skin. That’s why Men’s Club is his choice. Trendy designs, cotton-soft fabrics, all-day comfortable fit: it’s every everything he wants in men’s underwear to let him move with confidence.” Matsunaga expressed his excitement for his new role as Men’s Club’s endors endorser, promoting the brand’s line of under underwear that gives him the perfect support and comfort in his daily underwear needs.

“I am honored to be the first male celebrity ambassador for Men’s Club by Avon and represent the modern gentleman. It’s great that this brand understands our everyday needs for underwear that are not only stylish and masculine, but incredibly comfortable as well,” said an obviously overwhelmed Matsunaga. Men’s Club by Avon underwear comes in fashionable designs and are made with cotton soft fabrics for an all-day comfort fit. The entire selection includes classics, bikini briefs, hi-cuts, boxers, and hipsters that suit every modern man’s lifestyle. These are offered in affordably priced sets, namely: Daniel 2-in-1 Boxer Brief pack at P575; Orlando 5-in-1 Bikini Brief Pack at P875, Brad 3-in-1 Hipster Brief Pack at P599; and Lester 5-in1 Brief Pack at P875. Except for Daniel 2-in-1, these will be available through Avon representatives or via online at avonshop.ph.

Avon Philippines senior manager for Legal, Regional Counsel Atty. Errol Palaci, Marketing director Jean Reyes, and director for Communications APAC Faith FernandezMondejar welcome Daniel Matsunaga to the Avon Family

Confidence is the New Sexy

White Glory Banner

Real Tank Makeup Face

MIrth top black

Warp Skirt fans blue

Cheap Monday

AVON Fashions makes a strong point of celebrating women’s real beauty and sexiness with its new campaign, “Confidence is the New Sexy.” The country’s no. 1 intimate apparel brand upholds women’s right to feel confident regardless of body type by wearing perfectly fitting and comfortable intimate wear. Avon Fashions presented its latest line of Intimate Apparel, highlighted by the new Jamila Bra & Panty Set, which gives the right fit for curvy, plus size, petite, or athletically built women. During the event, four women took turns delivering monologues to share how they feel about body stereotypes, and how they have come to discover that confidence is what “sexiness” is all about. “A woman may be strong, curvy, petite, and fuller, but these are only shapes and sizes,” the four women proclaimed in unison. “Our skin is a record of our milestones, our bones are barks that withstood storms, our muscles are symbols of our endurance, and our shape is our fingerprint. The true measure of our beauty is in how much we embrace who we truly are. That’s real confidence and that’s what makes us truly sexy.” ALL SHAPES ARE BEAUTIFUL. Sarah Facuri for Plus Size, Kakki Teodoro The no. 1 intimate apparel brand in the Philippines, Avon for Curvaceous, Caisa Borromeo for Athletic and Marrone Cruz for Petite Fashions offers intimates designed specifically for Filipina women’s comfort and fit. This design is combined with fashion and function by no less than the beauty company’s own Design and Product Engineering team. To assure comfort for all size ranges, the team put each piece of apparel through several fitting processes. The finished products are all made with high quality fabrics and materials. “Adhering to the advocacy of women empowerment, we at Avon Fashions realize the need to encourage body positivity among Filipinas. We believe that every woman is worthy of self-love, acceptance, and confidence, regardless of her size or how others see her physically,” said Jean Reyes, Avon Philippines’ Marketing Director. “That is why we created intimates that combine fit, fashion, and function for a comfortable wear that makes every woman feel confident. With Avon Fashions Intimate Apparel, confidence is the new sexy.” Aside from the Jamila Bra & Panty Set, other options are available from the Classic, Missy, Shapemakers, and Everyday Comfort selection. Avon Fashions Intimate Apparel is now available through Sarah Facuri (center) shows how to be confident in one’s own skin any Avon Representative, or via online at www.avon.ph.

TRYING out being somebody else, somebody rich, ‘fancy’ in the best way you know how? You like prints cut in half, garments morphing into other garments to visualize the transformation of youth? You even have your own flag and endorsement inspired prints to show the aspirational theme of the collection. Enhancing and customizing jeans by altering hems and changing details is an inherent part of denim culture and history. In this collection, Cheap Monday used this idea and focused on a front leg split seam, moved back pockets and versatile bottom hem cut-offs, as our interpretation of this culture, leaving wash marks and shadow effects as trails from the past. In addition to the idea of enhancement and customization a utility inspired theme is also visible across this season’s denim offer; the use of patch pockets, D-rings and zippers updates skinnies by adding fun details and a hint of modern work wear aesthetics to the denim look. Cheap Monday is available in Rustan’s Makati. Avon Fashions presents its latest line of intimate apparel that gives the right fit for curvy, plus size, petite and athletically built women

Life

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017 isahred@gmail.com

ACKETT London’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection is inspired by the contemporary English gent with a patriotic nod to a typical British summer; the aim to fill his wardrobe requirements no matter where he is in the world. Both the Hackett London and Hackett Mayfair collections are split into three separate themes; English Elements, English Riviera and Man in the Caribbean. New City Look

The New City Look section of the Spring/Summer collection celebrates the traditional wet British summer. Pieces are designed for the man who will withstand the climate, whether he’s taking the family on holiday to Cornwall or enduring the city commute; he will look as stylish as ever even if in a typical downpour. An essential piece for this eventuality is the new mac range, made with the cloth from British renowned umbrella manufacturer Fox; it is no coincidence that some of the world’s best raincoats come from a country where sunshine is a rarity. Available in seven colorways and lightweight for warmer temperatures, each mac comes with a matching umbrella. An additional key piece is the new Hackett Mayfair water repellent navy travel suit, the water-repellent finish and technology reflects infrared rays to keep one cool in the summer months.

English Riviera

Spanning across South Devon’s beautiful bay, the English Riviera conjures images of stunning British landscape and coastline dotted with boutique hotels and cliff facing restaurants. This section of the collection is inspired by a traditional family holiday and provides an essential wardrobe for the occasion. In a color palette of green, blue and pink; the collection offers bright separates celebrating the gent who is not afraid to wear color in the summer months. Pops of color materialize throughout looks with chinos, lightweight knitwear and shirts. The key to creating this English Riviera look is to layer and mix different textures; it makes a real impact and is achieved through layering a linen shirt under a textured knit, or fine gauge cashmere knit under a herringbone jacket. An essential piece within this collection is the 3D textured jacket in navy, perfect to achieve the layering look; it provides an update to the classic navy blazer.

Our Man in the Caribbean

SUMMER LOOK

The Caribbean: the perfect summer getaway with nights spent strolling through Havana’s back streets and days unwinding in beach front restaurants. This theme within Hackett’s Spring/ Summer collection showcases a moment of relaxation in tailoring, inspired by the tranquil atmosphere of the Caribbean culture. Linen suits are available as separates in a neutral color palette of blue and beige; breathable and lightweight, they are perfect for dressing in the stifling heat and the epitome of effortless style. Collarless shirts are worn under linen herringbone jackets or cotton cream suits. A key piece within the theme is the suede bomber in tan which has been updated for Spring/Summer with perforated detailing and contrasting cuff and collar; an essential separate when looking to curate a versatile and timeless wardrobe. The Hackett accessories collection for Spring/Summer 2017 offers a new range of luxury leather pieces including a hold-all, briefcase and small leather goods. In a neutral color palette of tan and brown, the luxury pieces are created from soft and textured leather resonating ultimate luxury. New to the range is a phone wallet which stylishly holds an iPhone or Android phone, credit cards and money; the essential piece to place in a gent’s pocket this summer. In addition, a luxury range of leather bound notebooks in various tones of blue and green are available featuring quotes such as “At Ease” and “Keep it Simple” by Hackett Chairman Jeremy Hackett. The Hackett Spring/Summer 2017 collection is available across global Hackett stores. In the Philippines, Hackett is located at Central Square in Bonifacio High Street Central, Power Plant Mall, Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Shangri-La.

for men

Hackett London’s Spring/Summer 2017 collection is inspired by the contemporary English gentleman who exudes effortless style The collection is composed of British summer essentials that can also be worn in other parts of the globe

Exuviance by Ross EXUVIANCE by Ross offers a post Mother’s Day Treat that is sure to give mom a relaxing experience. Break free from stress and enjoy services and treatments such as Exuviance Facials, haircut and blow dry, hair coloring and highlights, Sparitual manicure and pedicure, and more. At the center of this world class salon and aesthetic center is Fanny Serrano’s beauty philosophy that any woman or man who leaves the place should be a happy customer. Fanny Serrano Elite Salon Creative Directors Audie Bermejo, Butch Idio and Rodel Gutierrez make sure every customer is happy and contented. For hair color and treatments, the salon uses products from Davines and Schwarzkopf. Fanny Serrano Elite Salon and Medical Group also uses Olaplex hair treatment, which is used by Kim Kardashian. When your hair is damaged from all the chemiExuviance by Ross offers a post-Mother’s Day treat of services and treatments such as Exuviance Facial

Fanny Serrano Elite Salon ensures that every customer who comes in is happy and contented

cal processes you’ve subjected it to, Olaplex rebuilds the damaged bonds. This is perfect for those who bleach and color their hair regularly. Exuviance by Ross at Fanny Serrano Elite is located on the second level of 818 Building, Arnaiz Avenue (former Pasay Road), Makati City.

For appointment and information, visit their facebook page @fannyserranoelitecentre.makati or call (02) 772-8126, 0916564 1647 (Globe) and 0921-628 5034 (Smart) or email fannyserranosalon.mkt@yahoo.com. For products and services, you may also visit www.fannyserranoelitemakati.com.

Watsons’s #Hairgoals campaign encourages women to discover different hair color and hairstyle trends using products available in its stores

Explore and achieve your hairstyle potentials HAIR doesn’t make a woman, but good hair definitely helps. It is the crown you never take off and one quick makeover that can instantly change your mood. As actress and model Kate Bosworth once said, “It’s so different when you change your hair color, you’re treated so differently.” Blonde. Rose Gold. Ultra Dark Brown. Ash Brown. Imagine yourself in those hair colors. Whether you are thinking of getting a bold new color or experimenting on your hair for the first time, the good news is you can now do these at home. Hair coloring is now DIY-easy. All you need is to get the right products and you’re all set. It’s time to take those locks on a hair coloring adventure as Watsons recently launched #HairGoals. Watsons latest campaign encourages female shoppers to go out of their hair comfort zones and discover different hair color and hairstyle trends.

#Hairgoals aims to introduce a whole new world of color and style options and alternatives for women. With a vast spread of hair products available in store, shoppers will find it a breeze to go for the specific look that they desire. The launch was held on May 19 at the SM Mall Of Asia Activity Center where guests were given a chance to try out new hairstyles and colors provided by L’Oreal, Revlon, Kolours, Bigen, Beautylabo, Lolane, Liese and Revia, Styling tools and products by JML, W. Elite, Babyliss, VS Sassoon, Tresemme, Aquanet, Finesse and Suave, and Hair Care Products by Dove, Pantene, Creamsilk. Use your SM Advantage Card and you can even take that new do on a trip to either Bali, Guam, or Sydney. You can also get a chance to snag a free iPhone 7 or an iPad Pro. Every P500 single-receipt purchase of participating products entitles an SMAC member to one e-raffle entry.

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

‘Encantadia’ bags first international award G GMA Senior Program Manager Helen Rose Sese and GMA Post Production Video Graphics Manager Catherine Frayco received the award on behalf of Encantadia and GMA Network. Directed by Mark Reyes, Encantadia starred Kylie Padilla, Gabbi Garcia, Sanya Lopez, and Glaiza de Castro. The show premiered in July 2016 and ended its successful 10-month run on May 19. At the recently concluded 2017 Apollo Awards in Singapore, it The Apollo Awards, which was launched in 2005, recognizes bagged the Best Visual Effects (Long Form Category). This is the the best in production and post-production across the Asia Pacific show’s first international award. region.

MA Network’s iconic and well loved telefantasya Encantadia truly made a mark, not just locally but also internationally.

Model and actress Gal Gadot starring as Wonder Woman in the latest DC Extended Universe ﬁlm

Everybody is talking about ‘Wonder Woman’ THERE are only three things that dominate our social media timeline this week: Wittybunny, the Resorts World attack, and Wonder Woman. The film, which stars model and former beauty queen Gal Gadot in the title role, highlights women empowerment and the lesson on the power of “always telling the truth,” and “doing what is always right.” And for those who have waited all their lives for the big screen adaptation, their belief that Dian, like her counterpart in DC Extended Universe, is an advocate of life and against any kind of oppression, putting humanity first. She’s nothing but a screen hero that everyone needs in these troubled times. Born to an all-female race of Amazons supposedly put on the Earth by Zeus (her father) to be a guiding light for humanity, Diana (Gadot) knows from childhood that she wants to be a warrior. This dream even makes her defy her overprotective mother Hippolyta (Connie Nielsen), who tells her the story of how her people were enslaved by mankind, how Ares the god of war corrupted them, and how he killed all the other gods including his father. Through the guidance of Martial leader Antiope (Robin Wright), who initially tutors her in secret, Diana turns into a powerful and confident fighter. Along with her tribe, she’s been isolated from humans all her life. But this changes when she meets an American pilot (Chris Pine), who crashes into her world. Then the pilot tells her about the massive conflict that’s raging outside the island. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her sheltered life on the paradise island for the first time. Later she discovers her power and what her true purpose is. Complementing the drama behind one of the most recognizable super heroes in history are dramatic action scenes and impressive visuals that made it easy for the film’s marketing to sell the movie. In fact, the first

solo feature film about the famed Amazonian princess-warrior, is breaking box office records when it premiered in most part of the world on June 1. In North America, the Patty Jenkins film has grossed $38.6 million, the fourth highest this year. Internationally, according to Box Office Mojo, it opened in a total of 55 markets this weekend, including China, UK, Russia, Italy, Korea, Mexico and Brazil earning another $47.1 million for a worldwide total of $86 million, against a production budget of $149 million. In review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the latest hero to get the live action film treatment holds an approval rating of 93 percent based on 242 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. In the Philippines, Wonder Woman bested the opening-day gross of the musical romantic fantasy film Beauty and the Beast by a million. The musical raked in P47 million on its first day at the local tills in March. In a statement from local distributor Warner Bros. Philippines, it said that the film attracted 205,041 total admissions from 510 screens nationwide. Wonder Woman’s other first-day records include the 2nd Biggest Opening Day of the Year, right after Fast & Furious 8’s P56 million. With Star Cinema resurrecting Darna on the big screen, it’s natural to ask if we could expect another super heroine movie that is never short of excitement. While a number of fans anticipate the movie because Erik Matti is at the helm and features Liza Soberano with a stellar cast, it’s better not to keep our expectations high. More than the drama involved in the story, Darna is an action feature to begin with. Hence, if Darna wouldn’t be any close to how Wonder Woman was made, or if it wouldn’t be, at least in 2D, then what’s the point?

The lead cast of the top-rating fantasy series, "Encantadia"

The Game of Human Hunting GOOD guys always win in the movies. But does that actually apply in reality? Criminals all over the world try to run away from justice and it requires tremendous skill to actually capture fugitives. Running into criminal masterminds is a tough job because they could be the most resourceful and tactical people you could ever meet, which make it difﬁcult for investigators to catch them. If cops and robbers is the game for you, then you should tune in every Wednesday at 9 p.m. to KIX’s newest reality show, Hunted. Join Lenny Depaul, Robert Clark, Myke Cole and the rest of Hunted’s investigation team as they track down nine teams of two of fugitives in a span of 28 days. Follow their special team made up of army veterans, FBI detectives and intelligence agents as they search door-to-door trying to track wanted contestants down. Watch them work together to identify behavioral patterns, search their target’s homes and cellphone histories, as they try to arrest ﬂeeing criminals.

CROSSWORD PUZZLE Wednesday, June 7, 2017

ACROSS 1 Out-of-uniform garb 6 Grant 10 Pole on a ship 14 Completely drench 15 Yeas for matadors 16 Radius neighbor 17 Mumbai wraps 18 La — (weather worry) 19 Hoax 20 They’re not required 22 Riverbank 23 Move gingerly 24 Rare form of beryl 26 PC monitor 29 Orchid-loving Wolfe 31 El Dorado loot 32 Mark of Zorro 33 D’Urberville girl 34 Flower — (hippies) 38 Half of A.D. 40 Hoop site 42 Naturalist John — 43 Put on sale 46 Notorious pirate 49 Canadian prov. 50 One of 10 51 Dated hairdo 52 Puffin kin

53 Drab-colored bird 57 Hack’s customer 59 UFO captive? 60 In a hesitant manner 65 Thrilled 66 Garr of “Young Frankenstein” 67 Deep Nevada lake 68 Like a pittance 69 Artery complement 70 Humpback refuge 71 Versatile vehicles 72 Dross 73 Arises from DOWN 1 Consumer gds. 2 Russian range 3 Greens warning 4 A couple of times 5 Jiffy 6 Poetry in prison? 7 Newsman — Abel 8 Heavy for its size 9 That, in Taxco 10 Pizza topping 11 Bauxite giant 12 Show teeth

13 Docile 21 Um-hmm (2 wds.) 22 Parched 25 Thick head of hair 26 Industry magnate 27 — Russo, of “Tin Cup” 28 Mind 30 Port near Kyoto 35 Butterfly stage 36 “Instead of” word 37 Mr. Estrada

39 Shocks 41 Leafing through 44 Hayseed humor 45 Want-ad abbr. 47 Heck! 48 Triangular chips 53 Famed orca 54 Seattle’s Sound 55 Love, to Luigi 56 Walk a bicycle 58 Pass, as a bill 61 Met highlight 62 Clarified butter 63 Good dirt 64 Sudden urges 66 HBO receivers

Time is crucial because if the investigation team does not catch them within 28 days, the team of fugitives will win $250,000. Every move counts when it comes to figuring out how to capture them. Watch the process of how detectives work to capture a criminal; from studying their network and potentially figuring out their next move. It is like playing a game of human chess. It is all about figuring out what the fugitive’s next steps are and being ahead of their next move by setting up traps based on their weaknesses and mistakes that could potentially lead to their capture. Do the good guys have what it takes to capture the criminals? Or will the criminals successfully escape the system? Put your detective hats on and be on the look out! KIX is available on (Cablelink Ch. 54, Cignal TV Ch. 264, Destiny Cable Ch. 63, Gsat Ch. 18, and SKY Cable Ch. 63.). For more information, you can log on to www.KIX-TV.com .

Isah V. Red, Editor Nickie Wang, Writer isahred@gmail.com WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7, 2017

Jaclyn Jose receives her Natatanging Gawad Paso trophy

GET READY FOR

The cast and crew of "Deadma Walking" led by Joross Gamboa (second from left) and Edgar Allan Guzman (second from right)

‘pamatay na beshie’ COMEDY MOVIE

ILMING has begun for Deadma Walking based on the winning screenplay at the 2016 Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature (Screenplay division). The Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature is, by far, the most prestigious literary prize in the Philippines. The blockbuster romance-comedy That Thing Called Tadhana was also based on a Palanca-winning screenplay. Deadma Walking revolves around gay BFFs (best friends for life) John and Mark whose friendship is put to the test when one of them learns he has a terminal illness. He asks his friend to help him stage his fake death, wake, and funeral. It is his dying wish to see how his friends, family members, and other people familiar with him would react on his passing on. The result is a comedy of “deadly” proportions. Palanca juror Soxie Topacio, an actor and director, says, “It’s comedy

after comedy with a surprise ending.” Fellow juror Ed Lejano, a ﬁlm writer and director, raves, “In this age of fake news, Deadma Walking promises to be this year’s Die Beautiful in a rollicking comedy about a fabulous, fake death.” At least two other industry stalwarts are fans of the award-winning screenplay. “It’s beautiful!” director/ writer Mark Meily cheers. “I was looking for pitfalls to happen especially since it is about a man faking his death, pero wala. Very human yung mga events that they go through. Galing!” Film and advertising executive Madonna Tarrayo was hooked right away when she read the title. She adds, “And when I ﬁnally read the script, I found it witty and engaging. Tamang-

tama ang timpla.” Deadma Walking screenwriter Eric Cabahug describes the film as “a celebration of the creativity, chutzpah, and can-do spirit of the Filipino in the face of trials and adversity.” Starring in the laugh-out-loud film are Joross Gamboa and Edgar Allan Guzman, both fine actors with several awards under their belt. Gamboa was named Best New Male TV Personality at the 19th Star Awards for TV, Best TV Actor at the 23rd Star Awards for TV, and Best Supporting Actor for the film Intoy Syokoy sa Kalye Marino at the 8th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. Guzman, meanwhile, won Best Actor for Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me at the 7th Cinemalaya filmfest, the German Moreno Youth Award at the 2012 FAMAS, and Best Actor in a Comedy at the 2012 Golden Screen Awards. He also won the Gawad Buhay Best Actor and Aliw Awards Best Actor for his performance in the stage adaptation of

the movie classic Bona. Deadma Walking presents Gamboa and Guzman with one of the biggest acting challenges in their careers and promises to fully showcase their range and depth. Directing the movie is industry veteran Julius Alfonso (Felix Manalo), a longtime assistant director for awardwinning directors Joel Lamangan and Chris Martinez. The stellar production team also includes award-winning cinematographer Lee Briones (Baler, Tanging Yaman), production designer Angel Diesta (Die Beautiful), and editor Vanessa de Leon (Kimmy Dora, The Gifted). The movie is produced by T-Rex Productions, producer of the historical Ang Hapis at Himagsik ni Hermano Puli, and the comedy Patay Na Si Hesus, which won the Audience Award at last year’s QCinema Film Festival. Fun, ﬁerce, and fabulous, Deadma Walking will grace the big screens towards the end of 2017.

Back-to-school essentials for the digital-savvy family A NEW academic year has begun and as families shop for school staples and haul cool school supplies, families shouldn’t miss out on back-to-school essentials in the digital era. 1. A new laptop for the incoming college freshman What better way to reward a family member who is about to start a new chapter of his life with a new laptop that he can use every day? A laptop is an extension of every student’s academic life that will serve as his companion during all-nighters and other school projects. Macbook Pro’s 13-inch model with Retina Display is a perfect match for every student who is about to conquer a fresh semester. It’s portable, lightweight, and sleek enough to carry every day to school –a worthwhile investment that would last for years. 2. High speed home and mobile Internet for the out and about high school student As an Internet connection has effectively replaced having an arsenal of encyclopedias at home, a reliable home Internet connection is a must. Better if it is an ultra-fast connection as it is critical for students to quickly access information for school requirements – from scholarly journals they need to cite in their research papers to videos they need to stream for a critique paper. Besides a home Internet, a student can do no wrong with a mobile internet connection. Teens who have to do homework while away from home can easily fulﬁll their school requirements when they have a handy

mobile Internet they can carry wherever they want. 3. Cable television for the little preschooler Cable TV is still a powerful learning platform. A diverse cable channel lineup allows preschoolers to consume important information, while being entertained by their favorite educational shows. High deﬁnition channels that give a lifelike feel to the cable shows also makes learning engaging as kids watch cartoon shows that teach good values and help shape their character. One SKY Premium, SKY’s all-in bundle offers unlimited internet, HD cable TV, and mobile internet, and now with a special offer featuring a 13inch Macbook Pro is the perfect all-in-one back-toschool essential. Through SKY’s collaboration with Power Mac Center, the 13-inch M a c b o o k Pro with Retina Display is exclusively offered

at P2,915 per month – at 0 percent interest – for 24 months to new subscribers of One SKY Premium Plan 1999 and higher plans. This offer is available until July 15. One SKY Premium Plan 1999 comes with 16Mbps unlimited internet, HD cable TV, and free SKY On Demand; One SKY Premium Plans 2999 and 3999 come with 32Mbps and 64 Mbps unlimited internet respectively. For those who want to surf the internet while on the go, One SKY Premium Plans 1799 and 2199 also includes 4G Pocket Wiﬁ with speeds of up to 12mbps. The plans have a 24-month lock-in period. Access to over 190 free SKYcable channels will also be activated once families avail of the special offer. After the successful installation of any of the speciﬁed One SKY Premium plans, subscribers can head to participating Power Mac Centers with the special voucher to avail of the exclusive offer. This promo runs until July 15, 2017. One SKY Premium plans were launched in October 2016 to enrich the digital entertainment experience of Filipino families by offering all-inone, convenient bundles. The latest development also complements ABSCBN’s transition into a digital company. For more information, visit mysky.com. ph.

Kapuso shows’ hosts/stars awards’ top choices BROADCAST leader GMA Network continues to earn the approval of various institutions, winning several awards from a number of award-giving bodies recently. Recognizing the Kapuso Network’s commitment to promote good governance, the Office of the Ombudsman gave the network a Plaque of Appreciation for Bayan Ko—the six-part original TV series produced created by GMA Public Affairs Head Nessa Valdellon and directed by Adolf Alix, Jr., a film showing was also held during the Office of the Ombudsman’s 29th Anniversary, May 16 to 18. Meanwhile, at the 19th Gawad Pasado on May 3, several Kapuso personalities were recognized for their work in television and film. Mike Enriquez was conferred the “Pinakapasadong Lingkod-Bayan”. Meant To Be leading lady Barbie Forteza was named “Pinakapasadong Katuwang na Aktres” for the film Tuos. Jaclyn Jose received “Natatanging Gawad Pasado 2016” for her performance in Ma’Rosa. Paulo Ballesteros, in turn, was cited for his role in Die Beautiful. Alden Richards and Maine Mendoza received the special award “Dangal ng Kabataan”.

The Gawad PASADO (Pampelikulang Samahan ng mga Dalubguro or Film Association of Professors) is a group of film educators in the country that annually honors artists, directors, films, TV shows and music that have positively contributed in the disciplines of social studies, language, arts, and humanities. Numerous Kapuso programs and personalities were also cited at the Gawad Tanglaw (Tagapuring mga Akademisyan ng Aninong Gumagalaw) Awards in April. Longest-running investigative program Imbestigador was recognized as this year’s “Best Investigative Program,” while award-winning investigative program Reporter’s Notebook won “Best Documentary Program”. Taking home the “Best Comedy/Gag Show” award was Pepito Manaloto, the country’s first-ever reality sitcom on television. At the same time, GMA News TV’s I Juander was hailed as “Best Magazine Show”. Rhea Santos was given the “Best Morning Show Host” award for the longest-running morning TV show, Unang Hirit. Sue Prado was recognized for her role in Magpakailanman’s “Nabaliw na Ina” episode, earning the “Best Performance by an Actress” award. Jose won “Best Actress”, again, for Ma’Rosa. Meanwhile, Enriquez added another feather in his cap when he won “Best Male Radio Anchor” award. Fellow DZBB anchor Susan Enriquez was named “Best Female Radio Anchor”.

Susan Enriquez wins Best Female Radio Anchor at this year's Gawad Tanglaw